Category: World

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated throughout a gathering with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that unity between Ukraine and Poland is "the scariest factor for Russia".

Supply: The Guardian, as reported by European Pravda

Particulars: Welcoming the Ukrainian president, Tusk additionally paid private tribute to Zelenskyy, saying that "your battle is our widespread battle".

"You’re a hero not solely in Ukraine, however right here in Poland [we] additionally deal with you as a hero," the Polish prime minister stated.

Tusk later reiterated his earlier remark that Ukraine's battle towards Russia can also be defending Poland's independence, which might in any other case be beneath risk if Russia have been enabled to win the conflict.

In response, Zelenskyy echoed the sentiment, saying: "The scariest factor for Russia is that if we’re collectively. As a result of they undoubtedly can not defeat the 2 of us."

Background:

• Forward of his assembly with Tusk, Zelenskyy held his first bilateral assembly with Poland's new president, Karol Nawrocki, who stated that the go to by his Ukrainian counterpart was excellent news for Warsaw and Kyiv and dangerous information for Moscow.
• Nawrocki additionally stated that problems with nationwide reminiscence have been among the many key subjects throughout his talks with Zelenskyy in Warsaw, and that Poland hopes they are going to be resolved rapidly.
• Zelenskyy added that with out an impartial Ukraine, Moscow would come for Poland subsequent.

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Czech President Petr Pavel has welcomed the EU leaders' settlement on a joint mortgage for Ukraine, whereas hinting that he would love Czechia to participate within the mechanism.

Supply: Pavel on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Particulars: Pavel referred to as it "extraordinarily essential" that the European Council has agreed upon monetary help for Ukraine.

Quote: "Russia's warfare of aggression is severely draining the nation. Our assist is significant for Ukraine's survival. However additionally it is a forward-looking funding within the safety of Europe and Czechia.

Due to this fact, I imagine it’s proper that along with different Europeans we present we’re able to taking up our share of accountability and securing the way forward for our continent."

Background: The European Council agreed to supply Ukraine with a €90 billion mortgage for 2026-2027, based mostly on EU borrowing on capital markets and backed by EU finances reserves. Nonetheless, Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia refused to participate within the scheme.

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Australia has accomplished a categorised operation to ship M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Supply: ABC Information

Particulars: ABC Information secured unique entry to the mission of the Australian Defence Drive (ADF) in Poland.

The handover covers 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks that beforehand served with the Australian Military. The primary 37 arrived in Poland in July and an extra 12 came to visit the previous two weeks. The tanks had been transferred to Ukraine after closing technical checks.

ADF personnel arrange a short lived upkeep hub in Poland to examine and put together the automobiles, together with checks on turrets, weapons techniques, optics techniques and the tracks. Getting ready every batch took about seven days.

The ultimate cargo left the Australian metropolis of Geelong in October 2024 on a specialised cargo vessel. The ocean journey took 55 days earlier than the automobiles had been delivered to Europe.

Transferring the M1A1 Abrams required separate US approval underneath Worldwide Site visitors in Arms Rules (ITAR), the American export management guidelines, as a result of the tanks are a US platform.

ABC Information reported earlier on considerations raised by US officers in regards to the logistics and upkeep of the tanks in Ukraine.

"The M1A1 is a extremely succesful platform nevertheless it, like every thing, takes some upkeep," stated Colonel James Smith, charged with overseeing Operation Kudu, which is the ADF's dedication to coaching for Ukraine.

Smith added that Australia ensured the automobiles had been totally technically prepared earlier than the switch.

Quote from Simon Anglim from the Division of Struggle Research at King's Faculty London: "The M1A1 Abram continues to be among the finest tanks on the planet, and it's nonetheless higher than something that the Russians have gotten."

Extra particulars: Anglim stated that the principle weak level is the highest armour on the turret and hull, a crucial issue amid widespread drone use.

In response to drone threats, Ukraine has used cage armour, parts of reactive safety and extra armour plates. Australia has transferred the tanks of their most elementary kind, with additional fitting-out and upgrades left to the Ukrainian aspect.

ABC Information studies that Australia has supplied about US$1.7 billion in army and monetary help to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion.

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Russian chief Vladimir Putin has stated that he doesn’t at the moment see Ukraine's readiness to carry to an finish the conflict Russia has began, since Kyiv doesn’t wish to talk about territories, however he has added that there are nonetheless "sure indicators" of Ukraine's readiness for dialogue.

Supply: Putin throughout a press convention on 19 December

Particulars: In the course of the press convention, Putin was requested how "peace talks" have been progressing if the president of Ukraine had stated that Kyiv was not prepared to debate the "territorial difficulty". He responded that Russia didn’t but see such readiness from Ukraine.

He then as soon as once more began speaking concerning the "2014 coup", concerning the want to "shield the inhabitants" and different pseudo-reasons he makes use of to attempt to justify Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Quote: "However all the identical, we see, really feel and find out about sure indicators, together with from the Kyiv regime, that they’re able to conduct some kind of dialogue. We’ve additionally at all times stated: we’re prepared and we wish to finish the battle by peaceable means."

Extra particulars: On the similar time, he as soon as once more repeated that his "peaceable means" ought to be primarily based "on the rules" he set out in June final yr on the Russian Overseas Ministry, and on eliminating what he referred to as the basis causes that led to this disaster (Russia's assault on Ukraine).

Reportedly, Putin has stated that, to finish the conflict he had began, Ukraine should withdraw its troops from the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts inside their administrative borders and surrender becoming a member of NATO.

The Kremlin chief additionally asserts that supposedly "Russia is advancing alongside the whole entrance line, and the enemy is retreating in all instructions".

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On the evening of 18-19 December, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 160 strike UAVs, together with Shahed, Gerbera and different forms of drones. Round 90 of them had been Shahed assault drones.

Supply: Air Pressure Command of Ukraine

Particulars: Early stories point out that as of 08:00, Ukraine's air defence forces shot down or jammed 108 Russian UAVs – together with Shahed and Gerbera drones, in addition to drones of different varieties – in Ukraine's south and east.

Strikes by 47 UAVs had been recorded at 23 places.

The air assault was repelled by Ukrainian plane, anti-aircraft missile troops, digital warfare and unmanned techniques models and cellular fireplace teams of the defence forces.

The assault is ongoing, with a number of Russian UAVs nonetheless in Ukrainian airspace.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the leaders of the European Union for his or her determination on monetary assist for Ukraine in 2026-2027.

Supply: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Particulars: The European Council has permitted a choice on joint borrowing to supply Ukraine with €90 billion in assist. The choice was adopted after the EU deserted the choice of a "reparations mortgage", which had been mentioned for a very long time beforehand.

"That is vital assist that really strengthens our resilience," Zelenskyy wrote.

He additionally burdened the significance of the truth that Russian property stay immobilised and that Ukraine has acquired a monetary safety assure for the approaching years.

Background:

• Earlier, European Pravda reported that the EU summit had reached an deadlock on the reparations mortgage and needed to swap to plan B, which in the end labored.
• President of the European Council António Costa had promised that the leaders wouldn’t go away the summit with out a determination on funding for Ukraine.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Poland on Thursday night for an official go to.

Supply: a video supplied by the President's Workplace; European Pravda

Particulars: Zelenskyy was met on arrival in Warsaw by representatives of the Polish aspect and Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar.

As a part of the go to, the Ukrainian chief will, amongst different issues, maintain his first bilateral assembly with the brand new Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

Президент Володимир Зеленський прибув до Польщі
відео: ОП pic.twitter.com/3uWf1qNgAO

— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) December 18, 2025

Background:

• Earlier, officers in Warsaw confirmed that the Polish aspect had proposed that the presidents meet on 19 December.
• Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk steered that he would possibly keep longer on the summit of EU leaders and be late for the assembly with the president of Ukraine, which is to happen in Warsaw on Friday.

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Russian forces attacked a automobile within the centre of Kherson on the night of 18 December, injuring the motive force.

Supply: Kherson Oblast Army Administration

Particulars: It’s reported {that a} man, 41, has sustained a shrapnel wound to his arm, a blast damage and a closed craniocerebral damage.

He’s within the hospital in a average situation.

Earlier than this, Russian forces opened hearth on Kherson's Dniprovskyi district, and an 86-year-old girl was injured in her own residence. She sustained a blast damage and a shrapnel wound to her arm.

An ambulance crew took the girl to hospital, the place she is in a severe situation.

On the similar time, Russian navy personnel attacked one of many municipal amenities in Kherson. A 61-year-old feminine employee sustained a blast damage and shrapnel wounds to her stomach and can also be in a severe situation in hospital.

Background: On the morning of 18 December, Russian forces attacked Novodmytrivka in Kherson district with a drone and later attacked Kherson's Dniprovskyi district. Two folks had been killed in these assaults.

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Russia's Federal Air Transport Company has recorded 10 incidents involving engine failures and malfunctions between 10 and 16 December.

Supply: The Moscow Instances

Particulars: Nearly half of the incidents occurred on 16 December. That day at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, a Nordwind Boeing 777 working a flight to Cuba aborted take-off after a failure of the suitable engine. Flames had been seen through the take-off roll, and an emergency warning indicating engine failure was triggered. The plane was dropped at a halt on the runway.

There have been additionally issues with a Superjet 100 operated by Rossiya Airways on a Yerevan-Sochi flight, when the crew observed elevated vibration within the second engine.

Within the metropolis of Chelyabinsk, one other Superjet 100 of the identical airline encountered points with its first engine, and the malfunction required the deactivation of the thrust reverser.

That very same night, a Ural Airways Airbus A320 en route from Khujand to Yekaterinburg was pressured to return to its departure airport due to a loud noise and a pointy improve in vibration within the first engine.

On 14 December, the suitable engine of an AZUR Air Boeing 757 arriving from Thailand failed throughout touchdown in Barnaul. The identical day, after touchdown at Tbilisi airport, the pilots of an Azimuth Superjet 100 needed to shut down the second engine because of a thrust reverser malfunction.

On 11 December, the suitable engine of a Superjet 100 operated by IrAero failed throughout climb after departure from Antalya to Sochi. The day earlier than, the crew of a Pobeda Boeing 737 reported that the left engine was not responding to adjustments in energy setting throughout a Barnaul-Moscow flight.

Background: In 2025, towards the backdrop of sanctions and the dearth of home manufacturing of spare components, the variety of incidents involving plane operated by Russian airways has elevated by roughly 4 occasions year-on-year. From January to the top of November, greater than 800 malfunctions resulting in flight cancellations or emergency returns had been recorded, in contrast with simply over 200 such incidents in the identical interval in 2024.

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Davyd Arakhamia, chief of the Servant of the Folks celebration, the ruling parliamentary faction, says there’s zero risk of a "good peace deal" with Russia; the selection is between a really unhealthy deal or no deal in any respect and the continuation of the conflict.

Supply: Arakhamia at an occasion in Kyiv titled "Ukraine and the World Forward 2026", as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "We realise – everybody who thinks, though there are a lot of individuals who nonetheless imagine that we must be insisting on some fantastical phrases for a deal – that it’s going to both be unhealthy, or very unhealthy, or there can be no deal in any respect."

Particulars: Requested concerning the probability of a deal being reached at this stage of the talks, Arakhamia mentioned that with the present stress being exerted by the Individuals – though there’s extra of it on Ukraine than on Russia – there’s a probability, however "there can be no probability of a deal until the Individuals are concerned".

Arakhamia added that Ukraine wants safety ensures and it’ll not agree to surrender Donetsk Oblast to the Russians. On the similar time, he described the equal of NATO Article 5 as "weak".

Background: In current days, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pressured that the Ukrainian authorities can not assume that the present peace course of may fail.