The issue of allocating 50 billion euros to Ukraine could be considered by the European Council not in January, but on February 1, 2024. The date of the next summit was announced by the head of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel , his spokesperson said. According to the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine will be able to cope without external assistance in January and February 2024.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller at a press conference after saying that “Ukraine is facing a very difficult winter” added “The United States does not have a ‘magic pot’ from which to draw assistance to Ukraine.”
The Washington Post, effective December 20, removed a section on the situation in Ukraine from its main page. Kiev has little chance of conquering any territory, so in order to negotiate with Moscow in 2025, Ukraine can only threaten it with drones and missiles, writes the New York Times.
According to the NYT, Ukraine will have to wait a long time for Western help to fight the larger Russian army, which can count on the support of a much more developed industry. However, this help from the West is now in question. Some members of the American military circles are now recommending that Kiev follow a “Hold and Build” strategy, which involves focusing on maintaining territories that have not yet been lost and on increasing the capacity to produce weapons in 2024.
The Chief of Staff of the Belgian Armed Forces said: “Europe must immediately prepare for a possible conflict with Russia in the coming years.”
In Ukraine we are starting to talk about mobilization again. The military proposed to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to mobilize another 450-500 thousand people. “They (the military) proposed to mobilize another 450-500 thousand people,” said Zelensky who claims that such mobilization will cost Ukraine another 500 billion hryvnia (about 13.4 billion dollars). “I would like to understand from the Prime Minister [of Ukraine Denis Shmygal], from the Minister of Finance [Sergei Marchenko]: where does the money come from?” -He added. “But mobilization is a “sensitive topic” and the decision on conscription has not yet been made.” Zelensky said that Ukraine had not received any proposals from its partners for partial membership in NATO. “It’s hard for me to imagine what it would be like,” he said. “If we talk about NATO, then (membership) would be the best solution for us. We are not invited to NATO. And signs of some kind of partial membership are, frankly, nonsense,” the Ukrainian leader said.
The Ukrainian president said regarding his relations with the Commander of the Armed Forces Zaluzhny: “I have a working relationship with Zaluzhny, he should be responsible for the result on the battlefield, like Commander-in-Chief Zelensky.” “Now a common position of Ukraine and 50 countries on the “peace formula” is being developed; as soon as it is formulated, it will be transferred to Russia, Zelensky said.”
More than 70% of Ukrainians would react negatively to Zaluzhny’s resignation as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a poll by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology showed.
“Ukraine is losing the war right now,” says Kirill Veres, commander of the K-2 battalion of the 54th Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “If we talk about war on all fronts, then we are losing. Where are we winning? I don’t know, I can’t say. We are surviving. These are different things: to do to win and not to die. Now is a very difficult time for us,” Veres said.
According to him, this situation was caused by the expectation that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be in Crimea during the summer. For this reason, many servicemen have stopped “living” for war, and many do not want to serve at all.
On December 20, the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, held a briefing in Russia: “The EU’s decision to start negotiations for Ukraine’s accession to the EU is a “consolation prize” for Kiev in exchange for assistance worth 50 billion euros. Moscow, in the event of deportation of Russians from Latvia, will prepare the places to welcome them and will work on employment issues. The US defense agreement with Finland and Sweden means that control of Northern Europe passes to Washington. The EU will seek to expand the list of goods prohibited for re-export to Russia; such measures will only lead to a decrease in competitiveness”.
And now a look at the front line updated at 5pm on December 20th.
On the evening of December 19, a missile attack was carried out on Odessa, unexpected for the Ukrainian air defense. And again around 11 pm on December 19, a new missile attack was launched on the Kiev region.
The situation in the area of the North-East Military District on the morning of December 20 was as follows:
In the direction of Kupyansk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled a series of Russian attacks north and northwest of Sinkovka. Without modifications.
In the Seversk direction, Russian troops, supported by armored vehicles, attacked northwest of Berestovoy in the direction of Ivano-Daryevka. The servicemen of the 8th OGSB of the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled the attack and managed to knock out 2 tanks and 4 infantry fighting vehicles of the Russian Armed Forces.
In the direction of Bachmut, fighting continues on the railway section south-east of Bogdanovka, in the area of the Bachmut y shlyakh highway, east of the former “Bachmut” airport and north of Kleshchiivka behind the 215.7 skyscraper and the fortified area. On the southern and south-eastern outskirts of Novomykhailivka, Russian troops continue assault operations with the support of armored vehicles in the direction of Timiryazeva Street. The advance of Russian troops was up to 1.75 km along the front and up at 780 m depth.
Near Avdeevka, the Russian army reduced the number of assaults, but increased the number of infantry and equipment in the attacks. Alexander Shtupun, spokesman for the press center of the Tauride Defense Forces, noted that the Russians continue their attacks in the Avdiivska direction. They use drones and aircraft to attack the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In total there were 15 airstrikes per day. “The number of assaults decreased, but on the 19th the Ukrainians acted with a large number of infantry and armored vehicles in a single attack. That is, there are fewer of them, but they have become more massive: more infantry and more armored vehicles , tanks and armored fighting vehicles,” Shtupun said.
On the afternoon of December 20, a missile attack was launched on Krivoy Rog.
In the direction of Kherson: permanent battles in Krynki; where, Ukrainian formations continue to maintain a bridgehead, regularly transferring more and more forces to the left bank. However, losses resulting from the actions of the Russian Armed Forces are growing, which affects the capabilities of the Ukrainians. Currently, the number of personnel in the village has been reduced to 110 people from the combined formations of the 35th, 36th, 37th and 38th Marine Brigades. The intensity of transfers of advanced groups from the right bank has also decreased, which indicates the existing shortage of people.
At the same time, Russian military personnel managed to knock out the Ukrainian Armed Forces from positions in the forest near the greenhouses. First, the artillery worked on strong points, allowing them to eliminate detachments of marines and then destroy the positions of the Ukrainian units themselves.
Despite this, the Ukrainian command is trying to advance into the gray zone on the western and eastern outskirts of Krynoki. Now the advanced groups of marines of the Ukrainian Navy intend to gain a foothold in buildings, and not on plantations.
And the assault will remain the same. This is indicated by the transfer of 155 mm artillery shells to the front line, as well as the movement of mortar crews to Tyaginka and the northern part of Frolov Island.
Graziella Giangiulio
