A Russian drone attack damaged the energy infrastructure of the city of Ternopil on the night of Monday to Tuesday, December 3, according to information from the Kyiv Independent.
Mayor Serhiy Nadal added that part of Ternopil is without electricity. Still according to the same source, emergency response teams are currently on site and no casualties were immediately reported.
Ukraine puts pressure on to be invited to join NATO, Trump in the background
Less than two months before the return of Donald Trump, Ukraine is putting pressure on NATO countries to be invited to join them, but the foreign ministers of the Alliance, who meet on Tuesday December 3 in Brussels , should delay.
“Ukraine’s invitation to join NATO is necessary for our survival”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted this weekend. “But we have no illusions, there are still skeptical countries”he admitted.
His Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriï Sybiga, however, intends to reiterate this message on Tuesday evening, during a working dinner with his 32 NATO colleagues in Brussels.
Ukraine wants to approach a possible peace negotiation with Russia from a position of strength and with sufficient security guarantees. And for her, an invitation to join NATO is by far the best guarantee against Russia.
Several Alliance countries, led by the United States, are however reluctant to take this “monumental decision”as a diplomat in Brussels called it. U.S. officials privately acknowledge that such an invitation is unlikely to be issued just weeks before the start of the new Trump presidency.
US releases $725 million in military aid to Ukraine
The United States will provide $725 million (690 million euros) worth of new weapons to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday, with outgoing President Joe Biden wishing to consolidate American aid to Kyiv before giving way to Donald Trump in January at the White House.
This set taken from American stocks notably includes Stringer missiles, ammunition for HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, drones and mines, Antony Blinken said in a press release.
Reuters reported last week that the Biden administration plans to provide equipment, primarily anti-tank weapons, to help Ukraine try to halt Russian advances on its territory.
Recent aid of this type announced by the United States ranged from $125 million to $250 million.
Zelensky says he needs more weapons for a 'just' peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on Monday that he needs more weapons and stronger Western diplomacy to achieve a “just” peace, receiving in kyiv the German Olaf Scholz, who is trying to pose as chancellor of the peace and recently reconnected with Vladimir Putin.
The head of the German government assured that Russia will not be able to “ anger » his conditions in kyiv, a little more than two weeks after his controversial interview with the Russian president.
His surprise trip, the first since the summer of 2022, also comes at a time when Ukrainian forces are retreating on the front and while the arrival in January of Donald Trump at the White House raises fears of a cessation of American aid to kyiv.
“Russia does not give gifts. And we can only guarantee peace through force: the force of our weapons, our diplomacy and our cooperation “, urged Mr. Zelensky during a press conference accompanied by Mr. Scholz, judging “ fundamental » for kyiv than Berlin “don’t reduce your support next year.”
Germany to provide military aid worth 650 million euros to Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Monday, during a surprise visit to Kyiv, military aid worth 650 million euros for Ukraine, including Leopard 1 tanks and armed drones.
This visit, the second since Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago, marks Germany's support in a period of uncertainty, in the run-up to Donald Trump's inauguration in United States and as Russian forces continue to advance.
Olaf Scholz was to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who hopes for an agreement among NATO foreign ministers to formally invite Ukraine to join the ranks of the Atlantic Alliance. Ministers meet in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The visit also comes in a tense political context for the chancellor, who is preparing to face a difficult re-election battle in February, after the breakup of his coalition in November.
The Russian army advanced by 725 km2 in November, unheard of since March 2022
The Russian army advanced over 725 km2 into Ukrainian territory during the month of November, its largest territorial gain in a month since March 2022 and the first weeks of the war, according to an AFP analysis Monday in based on data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Over the entire month of November, Russian forces thus gained the equivalent of the surface area of Singapore, i.e. more land than during the month of October (610 km2), which already marked an unprecedented advance for more than two and a half years, especially in eastern Ukraine near the city of Pokrovsk.
The Donetsk region, in which this important rail and road junction is located, alone concentrates almost 90% of Russian advances in November (629 km2). The Ukrainian army now controls less than a third, compared to more than 40% on January 1, 2024.
Moscow's forces have claimed numerous towns south and east of Pokrovsk in recent weeks, and have come within 5 kilometers of it.
The advance of Kremlin troops has accelerated since the end of spring. Including the month of November, they increased over more than 3,500 km2 in 2024, six times more than for the whole of 2023.
