No world leader has the right to negotiate with Putin without Ukraine — Zelensky, more than 200 wounded in a few days: the SBU intercepted conversations about heavy North Korean losses in the Kursk region, Rheinmetall will provide the Ukraine charges for 155 mm artillery.
No world leader has the right to negotiate with Putin without Ukraine — Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin regarding Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation unacceptable.
He said this during an interview with Le Parisien.
“I emphasize it: no world leader has the right to negotiate with Putin without Ukraine. We have never delegated this mandate to anyone. We are the victims. It would be unfair for everyone to start deciding how a country should live. The French in France, the Italians in Italy or the Americans in the United States know what they want for themselves. The same goes for Ukrainians,” Zelensky said.
He also clarified that, to begin negotiations, it was necessary to develop a peace plan which could then be presented to Putin or the Russians.
On November 20, Reuters reported that Putin would be willing to talk to Donald Trump about a ceasefire deal in Ukraine, but that he rejected any significant territorial concessions and insisted that Kyiv give up its ambitions. membership in NATO.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin ruled out the option of freezing the war in Ukraine. On December 17, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassili Nebenzia, affirmed that Moscow would not accept any scenario involving a freezing of the conflict in Ukraine.
More than 200 injured in a few days: the SBU intercepted Russian conversations about North Korea’s heavy losses in the Kursk region
North Korea has lost at least 220 wounded soldiers in recent days in Russia’s Kursk region. This information comes from interceptions of Russian conversations carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The SBU released an interception video where a nurse from a Moscow region hospital talks with her husband, who is fighting against the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Their conversation reveals significant North Korean losses. The woman says that in recent days, two trains transported around 220 wounded North Korean soldiers to her hospital.
“Yesterday there was a train with around 100 people. Today, another 120 – that’s already more than 200. And how many are still there? Only God knows,” complains the occupier’s wife.
In another conversation, she says that rooms in Russian hospitals are given priority to North Korean fighters, while injured Russian occupiers are treated in poorer conditions.
“Are these Koreans elite or something?” We free up special rooms for them. Are they privileged compared to us? », asks the nurse.
She also complains about the language barrier and says they are forbidden to speak English with North Korean soldiers.
“They tell me: how will you know when you need to administer painkillers? I answer: I won’t know. If they scream, it hurts,” she says.
The SBU added that investigators have already opened a criminal case under Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (conduct of aggressive war) for the participation of North Korean servicemen in the war against Ukraine.
Rheinmetall will supply Ukraine with propellant charges for 155mm artillery
The Rheinmetall company signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the supply of propellant charge modules for 155 mm artillery.
This information appears in an announcement published on the company’s official website.
The order, placed in the fourth quarter of 2024, is estimated at around 9 million euros. It provides for the delivery of several tens of thousands of propellant charge modules of different types, which will be supplied in January 2025.
Rheinmetall is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of large caliber munitions and propulsion systems. In modern artillery, shells and propellant charges are loaded separately to achieve different firing ranges.
Through its significant deliveries and support services to Ukraine, Rheinmetall has become a key partner for the Ukrainian defense industry in its fight against Russian aggression.
At the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference 2024 in Berlin, the company and Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening their strategic cooperation. This agreement aims to identify and develop new areas of in-depth collaboration between the Ukrainian defense industry and the Düsseldorf-based technology group.
Specific projects currently being planned include the production of artillery ammunition and the supply and manufacture of Lynx infantry fighting vehicles. In addition to potential direct deliveries from Rheinmetall, the (re)industrialization of domestic production know-how is expected to play a crucial role in sustainably strengthening Ukraine’s defense capability.
