► Orban says kyiv “refused” a Christmas ceasefire
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who chairs the EU Council until the end of December, said on Wednesday December 11 that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had refused an offer to stop hostilities with Russia during the holidays as well as a prisoner exchange with Russia.
kyiv claimed not to have “discussed” with Viktor Orban of a possible Christmas ceasefire with Russia, as well as a major prisoner exchange, refuting the Prime Minister's remarks.
“As always, the Hungarian side did not discuss with Ukraine. And as always, Hungary did not warn [l’Ukraine] of its exchanges with Moscow »lamented Dmytro Lytvyne, an advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, in a written message to the media.
► Russia could strike Ukraine with an Orechnik missile
While Russia has promised “an answer” Following the new Ukrainian attack carried out in the morning, according to Moscow, with American ATACMS missiles against a military airfield in the south of the country, a senior American official warned Wednesday, on condition of anonymity, that Moscow could strike Ukraine with an Orechnik missile “in the coming days”.
► Zelensky accuses Orban of undermining “European unity”
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of undermining “unity” European Union in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with its telephone call to Vladimir Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke by telephone about the situation in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced.
“No one should promote their own image to the detriment of unity” et “unity in Europe has always been the key” to put an end to the Russian invasion, launched Volodymyr Zelensky. “There can be no discussions about Russia's war against Ukraine without Ukraine”he added, in a message on Telegram.
► Moscow accuses kyiv of having launched American missiles
The Russian military claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked an airfield in Taganrog in southern Russia using US ATACMS missiles, promising “an answer”.
“It has been established with certainty that six American-made ATACMS ballistic missiles were used”the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, specifying that two had been “dejected” et “the others (…) hijacked by electronic warfare equipment”.
► Scholz encourages investment in Ukraine, “future member of the EU”
“If you invest in Ukraine today and in the years to come, you are investing in a future EU member”Olaf Scholz said at the 7th German-Ukrainian Economic Forum.
“After the war”the German Chancellor wants to believe, Ukraine will experience “growth rates and development opportunities that we only experience in the Central and Eastern European countries that joined the EU in the last two decades”.
► EU sanctions new oil ships
European Union member countries have agreed to sanction around 50 additional vessels from the “ghost fleet” which allows Russia to export its oil and gas bypassing Western restrictions.
The measure was officially announced as part of the 15th EU sanctions package targeting Russian interests since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
► Moscow says it has reconquered two localities in the Russian region of Kursk
The Russian army has claimed the reconquest of two localities in the Kursk region, bordering Ukraine, where kyiv's forces have occupied hundreds of square kilometers since a surprise offensive in August.
“Units of the Northern grouping, during offensive operations, liberated the localities of Darino and Pliokhovo”the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
► For Donald Trump, the “priority” is to resolve the Ukrainian conflict
US President-elect Donald Trump said his priority would be to “resolve the Ukraine problem with Russia”among the multiple crises underway in the world, in an interview with the French magazine Paris Match published Wednesday.
“The priority is to resolve the Ukraine problem with Russia. These two countries are suffering incredible human losses. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are killed »Donald Trump told the weekly on Saturday during his visit to Paris for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
“The Middle East is also a big priority, but I think it is a less difficult situation to manage than Ukraine and Russia”he clarified.
Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, has long asserted that once in power, he would end “24 hours” to the conflict which has lasted for almost three years, raising concerns in Ukraine, which fears being pushed into making significant territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace.
► Russian companies damaged by Ukrainian drones and missiles
Two industrial companies were damaged overnight by Ukrainian drones and missiles in the Russian regions of Rostov and Bryansk, bordering Ukraine, Russian authorities said.
“Last night, the town of Taganrog, in the Rostov region, suffered a missile attack. An industrial company was damaged »indicated the governor of the region.
“A boiler room was damaged on Tsiolkovsky Street. Currently, there is no heating in 27 buildings”specified for her part the mayor of Taganrog. Fourteen Ukrainian drones were also intercepted and destroyed over the Bryansk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a press release.
► The death toll from the strike on Zaporizhzhia rises to 9 dead
A Russian strike carried out on Tuesday on Zaporizhia, in southern Ukraine, left nine dead and 22 injured, according to a new report provided by the authorities, while rescuers are still trying to find survivors under the rubble.
The strike, which destroyed a private clinic and an office building, is the latest in a series of attacks that have intensified in southern Ukraine, reinforcing fears of a new Russian offensive in the region.
According to preliminary data, 20 residential buildings and three non-residential buildings were damaged, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.
Zaporizhia is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed to annex in 2022, without fully controlling it.
