A delegation from 14 Latin American countries arrived in Kyiv to participate in the Parliamentary Conference. Zelensky discussed with representatives issues of cooperation, the formula for peace and the return of deported children.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with parliamentarians and diplomats from Latin America in Kiev. The parties discussed a number of issues, including deepening cooperation in the defense of Ukraine. This is stated on the president's website, writes UNN.
We want state borders to be respected. Absolutely. So that this is the rule for Ukraine and for other nations of the world. So that each nation can choose its own future – without compulsion. Without coercion by war, or by political coercion, or by economic coercion of any other country. And so that no one in the world can arrange deportations, so that no one can steal the children of some other people, as Russia does against the Ukrainians,
– stated in the statement of the president.
The meeting with the president of Ukraine was attended by parliamentarians and diplomats from Latin American countries. According to Zelensky, Ukraine needs the support of the world to solve and correct everything that was done by this war.
Representatives of Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica arrived in Kyiv to participate in the Parliamentary Conference "Ukraine-Latin American and Caribbean states: cooperation for the future".
The president informed the diplomats about the formula for peace, which fully complies with the UN Charter, and the results of the first Peace Summit. During the meeting, the parties also discussed in detail the prospects for cooperation in the defense of Ukraine.
"We are a group of your friends. We have come to tell you that Latin America is a friendly land for you. Our people, our people are with you," the representatives of the delegation assured.
Unfortunately, Russia rejects both the formula for peace and all other proposals, any proposals that are based on the UN Charter. They reject and will reject because they do not respect the UN Charter, do not recognize it. They recognize it only in words,
– Zelensky noted.
The Ukrainian president added that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin believes "in war, in his missiles.
But we need to force Russia to a fair peace,
Zelensky stressed.
The OP also informed that during the meeting, the parties discussed in detail the prospects for cooperation in the defense of Ukraine and relations with Latin American countries.
Zelensky called on representatives of states to join the peace process, cooperate "for the return of illegally deported Ukrainian children, in matters of food security and help Ukraine recover from the shelling.
In addition, the president outlined exactly how Ukraine and Latin America can deepen cooperation, in particular in economic, technological and educational areas.
The OP added that representatives of the delegation "assured of further support for Ukraine from Latin America.
Secretary General of the Organization of American States: Ukraine-Latin America Summit should cover issues of international peaceApr 15 2024, 10:37 AM • 16158 views
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's Nov. 27 decision to choose Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia is not ideal for Kyiv but is an acceptable and reasonable choice for Ukraine, analysts say.
Kellogg has co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO's accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia.
At the same time, Kellogg has stated that Ukraine should negotiate from a position of strength.
According to his proposals, the U.S. will continue sending military aid to Ukraine and provide security guarantees to Kyiv to prevent further Russian aggression. The plan does not stipulate a reduction in the Ukrainian army's size or recognizing occupied territories as Russian de jure.
"There will be no (outright) pro-Ukrainian appointments (under Trump)," Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told the Kyiv Independent. "But it's good if an appointee is not anti-Ukrainian."
He argued that Kellogg is not anti-Ukrainian and that he is an experienced and competent professional.
In contrast with Kellogg, Trump's nomination of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary was met with unease in Kyiv.
"From this standpoint, if you compare (Kellogg) with others, he's absolutely acceptable for Ukraine," Fesenko added. "His position is understandable (for Kyiv), and we can adapt to it."
Kellogg is a retired lieutenant general who served in the Vietnam War and the Gulf War and was the chief operating officer of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq from 2003 to 2004.
During Trump's first presidency, Kellogg was the chief of staff of the National Security Council from 2017 to 2018 and national security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence from 2018 to 2021.
"General Kellogg is very devoted to President Trump, having been with him in all three campaigns plus his time in office, but in my experience, he is a serious guy," Michael O'Hanlon, director of research in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, told the Kyiv Independent.
"General Kellogg is very devoted to President Trump, having been with him in all three campaigns plus his time in office."
Daniel Hamilton, another foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution, also described Kellogg as "an experienced military leader" and "a strong supporter of President Trump."
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Keith Kellogg (R) after announcing him as chief of staff to national security adviser US Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, US on Feb. 20, 2017. (Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images)
"Kellogg is close to the president, which is a prerequisite for an effective special envoy. He's also considered to be thoughtful and measured … and is obviously experienced," Peter Rough, director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the conservative Hudson Institute, told the Kyiv Independent.
Charly Salonius-Pasternak, lead researcher at the Center on U.S. Politics and Power at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said "it's important that any such envoy has 'the ear' of the president and conversely is seen to genuinely represent/speak for Trump."
"In making deals, that's almost more important than any previous policy position Kellogg has had because people can then to some degree trust that what he says will also hold with Trump," he told the Kyiv Independent.
Kellogg co-chairs the Center on American Security at the America First Policy Institute.
In May, Kellogg and another Trump advisor, Frederick Fleitz, co-authored a report called An America First Approach to U.S. National Security for the America First Policy Institute. Among other things, the report presents their vision for a peace settlement in Ukraine.
In June, Reuters reported that Kellogg and Fleitz had proposed to Trump a plan that would cease military aid to Ukraine unless it agrees to hold peace negotiations with Russia.
Hamilton argued that "Kellogg is essentially coming in (to Ukraine) to implement his proposal."
"As someone who has helped draft a proposal for seeking a diplomatic end to the war, Kellogg is poised to push hard to fulfill Trump's pledge to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table," Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Kyiv Independent. "I expect a determined diplomatic effort to bring the war to an end very early in Trump's presidency."
Kellogg's plan, as outlined in his report, envisages freezing the current front line in Ukraine. According to the plan, Ukraine's NATO accession would be taken off the table for "an extended period."
The strategy includes partially lifting the Western sanctions on Russia to encourage the Kremlin to take steps toward peace.
"If Ukraine doesn't want to negotiate, fine, but then accept the fact that you can have enormous losses in your cities and accept the fact that you will have your children killed, accept the fact that you don't have 130,000 dead, you will have 230,000–250,000," Kellogg told the Voice of America in July. "Demographically, what does that do to the country?"
The paper by Kellogg and Fleitz also repeatedly referenced the unsubstantiated theory that NATO expansion triggered Russia's full-scale invasion, which Trump also mentioned in an interview in June.
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On the upside, Kellogg's plan envisages levies on Russian energy imports to fund Ukraine's reconstruction.
According to his strategy, Ukraine will not be asked to give up its ambition to regain all land seized by Russia, but Kyiv should agree to use diplomatic means only and realize that it might take a long time to regain all the territories.
The strategy also calls for "a comprehensive and verifiable peace deal with security guarantees."
The plan stipulates that, if Ukraine agrees to peace talks, the U.S. would continue sending military aid to Ukraine to deter Russia from attacking it. On the other hand, the U.S. would increase its military support for Ukraine if Russia refuses to accept a peace deal.
Kellogg has also made a number of statements that appear to favor Ukraine.
"We've said very clearly in our paper that Ukraine has fought valiantly," he told the Voice of America. "They are very well led. We think the Russians did clearly an unwarranted invasion of a sovereign state, and this must be addressed."
Kellogg also said that "you want to make sure that Ukrainians are not put at the position when they're operating from weaknesses, but from strength."
"you want to make sure that Ukrainians are not put at the position when they're operating from weaknesses, but from strength."
"Nobody is ever saying that: 'Oh, we just have to make Ukrainians give up land and give it to Russia,'" he continued.
"If the West had provided the equipment that (President Volodymyr) Zelensky asked for, then you probably could have finished the job. You could have gotten into the Sea of Azov through Kherson, splitting them in half, and that is what you wanted to do. So, I blame (U.S. President Joe Biden's) administration and the West to a degree for not supporting Ukraine when they should have," Kellogg said.
Crew members of the 56th motorized brigade fires a mortar at Russian positions near the occupied Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on Feb. 2, 2024. (Dmytro Larin /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
He lambasted the Biden administration for failing to provide F-16 fighters, tanks, and long-range weapons quickly enough and in sufficient quantities and to allow Ukraine to "shoot deep into Russia."
"You have to give more arms to them because you can't trust the Russians," Kellogg said. "Sometimes you have to look at what we call in America the long game. And that is security guarantees, financial support, and military support."
To guarantee Ukraine's security, he suggested concluding a "defense agreement" with Kyiv similar to the U.S. accords with South Korea and Taiwan.
Kellogg also said that Russia's demand for Ukraine's demilitarization and a reduction in the size of its army was "unacceptable."
The Ukrainian authorities reacted positively to Kellogg's nomination.
"Keith Kellogg is not a new person for Ukraine. The Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S. has maintained close ties with him, particularly within the framework of expert diplomacy in recent years, and has developed and maintained a good dialogue with him during this time," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on Nov. 28.
Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Kyiv Independent that Kellogg "should recognize the only way to have successful negotiations is to make Ukraine as strong as possible — peace through strength."
"That means continuing aid and getting Congress to pass another assistance package," he added.
"(Kellogg) seems like a reasonable choice," Roland Paris, professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa and a research associate at Chatham House, told the Kyiv Independent. "He has emphasized the importance of Ukraine negotiating from a position of strength, he seems to understand the threat that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin poses, and he has underscored the importance of providing Ukraine with ironclad U.S. security guarantees, along the lines of the U.S. commitment to South Korea, following any eventual peace negotiation."
Hamilton said Kellogg is "an experienced military professional, not a loose cannon."
"This means the exact nature of U.S. pressure, or the contours of any ceasefire, may evolve," he added.
O'Hanlon said that he was "more hopeful by this choice than" he would have been if it had been Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany, who was reportedly among the candidates for the job. He said he hopes Kellogg will help Ukraine to achieve peace from a position of strength.
Fesenko agreed, saying that "Grenell is more radical and more inclined to apply strong pressure (to Ukraine)," while "Kellogg is more pragmatic."
Keith Kellogg, former national security advisor, during the America First Policy Institute's America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., US, on July 25, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Reuters reported on Nov. 22 that Trump was considering appointing Grenell as his special envoy for Ukraine.
Grenell, who served as the acting director of national intelligence during Trump's first term, is seen as an isolationist and supporter of reducing military aid to Ukraine.
Back in 2022, Grenell said he "applauded" billionaire Elon Musk's peace proposal but added that he would like a "stronger (peace) deal." Musk prompted a scandal the same year by suggesting a peace plan that included Ukraine's neutral status, recognizing Crimea as Russian, and holding a UN-supervised vote on the status of other occupied territories.
In July 2024, Grenell also proposed creating "autonomous zones" in Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia. He did not elaborate but the statement was an apparent reference to autonomous zones in the Russian-occupied territories.
Even if Kellogg pushes for a pro-Ukrainian peace deal, it is unclear whether Trump will back him.
Fleitz said in July that Trump had reacted positively to the peace proposal by him and Kellogg but said he was not claiming that Trump agreed with every word of it.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung emphasized then that only statements from Trump or his campaign should be taken as official policy positions.
"It is Trump, not Kellogg, who will make decisions," Fesenko said. "Kellogg is just an instrument."
"And will Putin agree (to Kellogg's proposals)? I doubt it."
There were 172 military clashes at the front, most of them in the Pokrovsky and Kurakhovsky directions. The invaders lost 497 soldiers, destroyed 4 armored vehicles, an artillery system and 12 vehicles.
The situation in the Pokrovsky, Kurakhovsky and Vremovsky directions remains tense – the enemy is concentrating its main offensive efforts there. In addition, the invaders are now actively attacking in the Limansky and Kupyansky directions. This is stated in the summary of the General Staff as of 22.00 29.11.2024, reports UNN.
To date, there have been 172 military clashes. Today, the terrorist state launched a missile strike with one missile, 31 airstrikes, while dropping 53 kab. in addition, the invaders used 581 kamikaze drones for strikes and carried out more than 3,000 attacks on the positions of our troops and settlements,
– the message says.
In the Kharkiv direction, Russian terrorists stormed the positions of our units five times in the areas of Kudievka, Volchansk and Tikhy. Two clashes continue.
Seven times the enemy attacked our positions in Kupyansky direction. Near Kolesnikovka, Lozovaya, Pervomaisky and Zeleny Gai, units of the defense forces repelled all enemy attacks.
In the Limansky direction today, Russian troops attacked Ukrainian defenders 20 times in the areas of Grekovka, Novoegorovka, Ternov, Yampolovka, Dubrava, Torsky, Zarechny, Grigorovka and in the Serebryansky forest. Our soldiers repelled 18 enemy attacks, two clashes continue.
In the Kramatorsk direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled three attempts by the invaders to seize our positions in the area of Chasovy Yar and in the direction of Belaya Gora.
In the Toretsk direction, the invaders twice tried to move forward in the Druzhby and Toretsk areas, and were rebuffed.
In the Pokrovsky direction during these days, the aggressor attacked our positions 34 times in the areas of the settlements of Mirolyubovka, Luch, Lisovka, Dachenskoye, Chumatsky, Novy Trud and yellow. Ten clashes continue to this day.
At the same time, the losses of the occupiers, according to available information at present, amounted to 497 people killed and wounded, four armored combat vehicles, an artillery system, three UAV control points and 12 units of enemy vehicles were destroyed, as well as two cars and two artillery systems were damaged by our defenders.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, the invaders made 43 attempts to move forward at this time of day. 11 attacks continue. Most of the fighting continues near Solntsevka, Berestkov, Novodmitrovka, Zarya, Kurakhovo, Dachny, Dalny, Elizavetovka, Annovka and Uspenovka.
In the Vremovsky direction, where today the aggressor stormed the front line of our defense 24 times in the area of Veselogo Gai, Konstantinopolsky, Sukhoi Yaly, Razdolny and Novodarovka, three clashes are currently underway.
In the Dnieper direction, the enemy made three unsuccessful attempts to storm the positions of Ukrainian units.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct operations in the Kursk direction. Today, Ukrainian soldiers repelled 22 attacks of the invading army in this direction,
– reported in the General Staff.
Zelensky appointed a new commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: who is heNov 29 2024, 03:00 PM • 15444 views
To end the "hot phase of the war," NATO would have to offer membership to Ukrainian territory under government control, with the invitation recognizing the country's internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News
"If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should quickly take under NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That's what we need to do first, and then Ukraine can get back the other parts of its territory in a diplomatic way," Zelensky said during the interview, which was published on Nov. 29.
According to the president, Kyiv has never considered such a proposal, since "no one has ever offered that to us officially."
Donald Trump's election has intensified uncertainty around Ukraine's war effort. He criticized U.S. military support provided to Ukraine by Joe Biden's administration. Some reports also indicate this would entail forcing Ukraine to cede territory and at least temporarily give up on its NATO accession plans.
Zelensky's latest remarks are somewhat at odds with his previous statements. He said that the signals of Ukraine's accession to NATO in parts is "nonsense," and Ukraine "will never exchange any status for any of our territories."
The president's comments to Sky News imply that territories currently occupied by Russia would not fall under the "NATO umbrella" in this scenario.
Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are partially controlled by Russian troops. Russia claims to have annexed the whole territory of those regions in 2022 despite not controlling two regional capitals — Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Moscow also controls all of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
Throughout 2024, Ukraine has faced a challenging situation in its defense of the front line, particularly in Donetsk Oblast, where Russia has consistently concentrated its offensive potential.
Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 but has yet to receive a formal invitation.
Despite high expectations in Kyiv, the last two allied summits brought only new steps toward deepening Ukraine-NATO cooperation and a declaration that the country's membership path is "irreversible."
Volodymyr Zelensky appointed the commander of the 93rd Kholodny Yar brigade Pavlo Palisa as deputy head of the Presidential Office. The president stressed the importance of appointing a Combat Commander to obtain operational information from the front.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Commander of the 93rd Kholodny Yar brigade Pavlo Palisa as deputy head of the presidential office. Zelensky stated this in an evening address, reports UNN.
He also appointed Colonel Pavlo Palisa as deputy head of the Office – Combat Commander, Commander of the 93rd Kholodny Yar brigade. He is well aware that in the brigades, at the front, and I need just such a person to know exactly the information directly from the front on a daily basis
Zelensky said.
Recall
Mikhail Drapaty became the new Commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Oleg Apostol – deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine. Both military personnel have successful combat experience and have proven their effectiveness.
Ukraine has received $100 million as part of a loan from South Korea for budget assistance, the first time the country is providing aid to Ukraine's state budget, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Nov. 29.
According to Shmyhal, the funds will be devoted to Ukraine's social sector by supporting budget expenses.
In April of this year, Kyiv and Seoul signed an agreement enabling Ukraine to attract up to $2.1 billion in concessional loans over 2024-2029. The loan has a term of 20 years with an annual interest rate 1.0% and a five-year grace period.
Later in October, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko signed a loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea to attract the $100 million loan.
Ukraine faces a $35 billion budget deficit in 2025, and with Russia’s war continuing into its third year with no end in sight, the country has to rely on external financing to sustain its economy and war effort.
South Korea has provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid throughout Russia's full-scale war but not with lethal assistance, as the country's legislation prevents direct arms supplies to war zones.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Nov. 27 visited South Korea and met with the country's President Yoon Suk Yeol as Russian forces make their fastest gains in months and thousands of North Korean troops are stationed in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Although the South Korean president did not rule out supplying arms to Ukraine, there were no official announcements that Seoul had changed its stance after the visit of the Ukrainian delegation.
Experts told the Kyiv Independent that South Korea could provide the most significant support to Ukraine through ammunition supplies. The country fields not only 155 mm artillery but also stores 3.4 million 105 mm rounds compatible with some of Ukraine's guns.
A South Korean official recently said that direct supplies of 155 mm ammunition are not on the table.
8 children aged from 6 to 16 years were returned from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Seven children returned with the help of Qatar, one – through the humanitarian corridor.
Another 8 children were returned to Ukraine from the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, a boy was returned, who at the time of the Russian invasion was in a boarding school, whose pupils were taken by the occupation authorities to the city of Skadovsk and the Russian Federation, UNN informs.
"We managed to return 8 Ukrainian children to their homeland. Children from Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, who lived under the pressure of the Russian occupation, finally broke free. This was implemented within the framework of the implementation of the approved Action Plan of the president of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA," Lubinets said.
He noted that the Returned Children are from 6 to 16 years old, and some of them have illnesses, so they were met in Ukraine together with ambulances. Among those returned is a boy who at the time of the Russian invasion was in the "Oleshkovsky boarding school", whose pupils were taken by the occupation authorities to the city of Skadovsk and the Russian Federation.
According to him, family circumstances and the lack of prospects for the future of children prompted adults who were young Ukrainians to return to Ukraine.
"I note that 7 children were returned with the involvement of the intermediary country Qatar. Another boy was returned through the humanitarian corridor. But now these children will finally receive decent medical care, embrace their parents and relatives and implement their plans," Lubinets added.
Recall
6-year-old Maria from Donetsk region and 14-year-old Veronika from Kherson region were returned from the temporarily occupied territories. The girls were in danger because of the occupation, but are now safe with their families.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning appoint General Mykhailo Drapatyi as Ukraine's Ground Forces commander, the president announced on Nov. 29.
Drapatyi is expected to replace Oleksandr Pavliuk who has served in the position since Feb. 11, 2024.
"Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi successfully organized the defense in the Kharkiv sector and disrupted the Russian offensive," Zelensky said on social media, without elaborating on the reason for the reshuffle.
Drapatyi served as a commander of Ukraine's 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade from 2016-2019.
He has headed the "Kharkiv" operational grouping of troops since this May and "Luhansk" operational and tactical group of forces since September.
Andrei Belousov visited North Korea for talks with the country's military leadership. The United States claims that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia and is supplying military equipment.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with North Korean military and political leaders, as the countries deepen their cooperation regarding Russia's war in Ukraine, AP reports, writes UNN.
Details
Announcing the visit, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation did not say who Belousov would meet with or what the purpose of the negotiations was. North Korean state media did not immediately confirm the visit.
Belousov, a former economist, replaced Sergei Shoigu as defense minister in May after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin began a fifth term in power.
In photos released by the Ministry of Defense, Belousov walks along the red carpet at Pyongyang Airport with North Korean Defense Minister Noh Kwang Chol. North Korean military officials were seen applauding under a banner reading "Full support and solidarity with the struggling Russian army and people.
After his arrival, Belousov noted that military cooperation between the two countries is expanding. He welcomed the strategic partnership agreement signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their June meeting in Pyongyang, which, he said, is aimed at reducing tensions by maintaining a "balance of power" in the region and reducing the risk of war, including with the use of nuclear weapons.
The June meeting demonstrated the "highest level of mutual trust" between the leaders, Belousov said, as well as the "mutual desire of our countries to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in a difficult international environment.
North Korean Defense Minister Noh reportedly also "praised the expanding cooperation between the countries' military forces and reaffirmed North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine," calling it a "just struggle to protect the country's sovereign rights and security interests.
The visit took place a few days after South Korean President Yun Seok-el met with a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in the South Korean capital Seoul and called on the two countries to formulate countermeasures in response to North Korea sending thousands of soldiers to Russia to help fight against Ukraine.
The United States and its allies have said that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia in recent weeks, and that some of those troops have been involved in combat.
North Korea is also accused of supplying artillery systems, missiles and other military equipment to Russia, which could help Putin further prolong the nearly three-year war. Seoul also fears that North Korea, in exchange for its troops and weapons supplies, may receive Russian technology that can improve its nuclear and missile programs.
"The Russian Defense Minister is visiting North Korea not only to celebrate bilateral ties," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ihwa University in Seoul. "This visit shows that Putin and Kim's military cooperation, which violates international law, is about to intensify even more.
Yun's national security adviser Shin Wonsik said in a television interview last week that Seoul believes Russia provided North Korea with air defense systems in exchange for sending its troops.
North Korea expands plant making missile used by Russia in Ukraine – ReutersNov 25 2024, 02:53 PM • 18402 views
Shin said Russia also appears to have provided North Korea with economic assistance and various military technologies, including those needed for North Korea's efforts to build a reliable space surveillance system, which Kim stressed is crucial to heighten the threat of nuclear missiles aimed at South Korea.
Yoon's office did not say whether the two governments discussed the possibility of South Korea supplying weapons to Ukraine during his talks with Umerov.
Yun said his government would take step-by-step countermeasures, linking the level of its response to the degree of Russian-North Korean cooperation.
At the time of writing, it was not clear whether Belousov would meet with Kim, the North Korean leader. Last year, Kim hosted a Russian delegation led by then-Defense Minister Shoigu.
The Russian report on Belousov's visit came as South Korea scrambled fighter jets to respond to six Russian and five Chinese military aircraft that temporarily entered the country's air defense identification zone around its eastern and southern seas, according to a report by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It said that Russian and Chinese aircraft did not violate the territorial airspace of South Korea.
The South Korean Defense Ministry said it had held telephone talks with Chinese and Russian military attaches in Seoul to protest the flights and urge countries to prevent a repeat of such cases.
Two journalists from the Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske came under Russian attack in Kharkiv Oblast on Nov. 25 while filming a story about volunteers evacuating abandoned horses.
Journalists Ksiusha Savoskina and Oleksii Nikulin went to film the evacuation of animals together with volunteers from Kharkiv Animal Rescue at an abandoned farm on the left bank of the Kupiansk district, Hromadske reported on Nov. 28.
The group was accompanied by a soldier, as he had spotted the horses from the Ukrainian forces' positions.
As the evacuation of the horses began, a Russian drone appeared overhead, forcing everyone inside a building. Later, an explosion occurred — the car, along with the journalists' backpack containing lenses for filming, were destroyed as a result of the attack.
"Since then, we tried not to leave the hangar. The volunteers were supposed to put the horses in a trailer, and we decided that we would not leave (the hangar) the whole day until it got dark because it was very dangerous — (the Russians) had probably already spotted us," Savoskina said.
Another explosion also set a neighboring building on fire. The journalist suggested that Russian forces might have dropped a mine on it.
"Despite this, everyone remained healthy. The horses are also unharmed — they are now in Kharkiv, then they will be transported to a children's equestrian school," Savoskina said.
Russian troops ramped up their efforts near Kupiansk in early September and approached the city’s industrial outskirts in the northeast. Earlier in November, Ukrainian forces successfully repelled Russian attempts to break into the city.
The crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState also reported on Nov. 26 that Ukrainian forces had completed clearing Kupiansk of Russian soldiers.
Kupiansk is a key logistics and railway hub in the eastern part of Kharkiv Oblast. With several highways and five railway lines running through it, the town was briefly occupied by Russian forces before it was liberated during a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in the autumn of 2022.
Capturing the city would widen the north-to-south supply route from Russia's Belgorod Oblast, fuelling their attempt to take the entire Donbas region.
The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov
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