Wars 2022 02/24 Monitoring Russian and Ukraine War.

[Saif]

France makes ‘historic’ accord to sell Ukraine 100 warplanes

France’s president Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 fighter jets and other hardware, including drones, in a boost for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion.

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France makes ‘historic’ accord to sell Ukraine 100 warplanes
Agence France-Presse . Paris, France 18 November, 2025, 01:31

France’s president Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 fighter jets and other hardware, including drones, in a boost for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion.

Delivery of the Rafale fighter jets — the crown jewel of French combat aviation — is only foreseen under the letter of intent over a 10-year horizon, although the production of drones and interceptors would start by the end of this year, Macron said.

The announcement, made as Zelensky visited Paris, came with the Ukrainian leader in need of support after setbacks over the last week due to a corruption scandal at home, Russian forces closing in on the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and continued aerial attacks by Moscow.

Macron acknowledged that this was currently a ‘difficult moment’ in the conflict, which was sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

‘Russia alone is making the choice to continue this war and to intensify it,’ he told reporters alongside Zelensky, accusing Russia of having an ‘addiction for war’.

But the French leader said he hoped ‘peace will be obtained before 2027’ when his own mandate expires, adding that there needed to be then a ‘regeneration’ of the Ukrainian army so that it is ‘capable of dissuading any new incursion’ by Russia.

The letter of intent inked by the two leaders at France’s Villacoublay air base sets out possible future contracts for Ukraine to acquire 100 Rafale fighter jets ‘with their associated weapons’, the French presidency said.

It also lays out deals for the new generation SAMP-T air defence systems which are under development, radar systems and the drones.

‘It is a historic agreement,’ Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president has already signed a letter of intent to acquire 100 to 150 Swedish Gripen fighter jets.

France has delivered Mirage fighter jets to Kyiv but this is the first time Rafale planes have been promised.

Financial details were not disclosed but France intends dip into its own budget contribution and use joint EU borrowing mechanisms, despite the risk of potential German resistance, to help Kyiv finance the deal.

The visit by Zelensky to France was his ninth since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It comes ahead of what analysts predict will be a tough winter for Kyiv as Moscow presses on the battlefield.

Overnight, Russian strikes killed three people in a city in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, its military administration chief said. Seven people were killed after Russia struck apartment blocks across the capital Kyiv on Friday.

The Russian army seized three more villages across eastern Ukraine, the defence ministry in Moscow said Monday, the latest in its grinding advance.

Efforts by US president Donald Trump to force a peace deal have stalled as Moscow has rejected calls for a ceasefire and refused to drop hardline territorial demands.

With the delivery of the Rafale jets only expected after the war, Macron said: ‘There will be no robust, lasting peace if there is not a strong Ukrainian army.’

Zelensky at the weekend announced an overhaul of state-owned energy companies after a corruption scandal, ordering two ministers to resign and sanctioning a former business partner who was named as its mastermind.

Macron said Ukraine’s path to join the European Union required ‘demanding and deep efforts and reforms notably on governance and fight against corruption’, adding he had ‘confidence’ in Ukrainians and Zelensky to do this.

Pressed during the news conference over whether enough had been done to fight against corruption, Zelensky said: ‘It is not enough. We will continue the appropriate actions.’

Macron and Zelensky also visited the headquarters of a Ukraine multinational force that France and Britain are preparing in the event an international force is deployed in Ukraine after any ceasefire.

The headquarters, at Mont Valerien, west of Paris, is where countries from the ‘coalition of the willing’ organised by France and Britain have sent officers to prepare the force.

France says that 34 countries and Ukraine have already offered to take part.​

 

[Saif]

Trump blasts Ukraine for 'zero gratitude' to US as talks start

Comments while US and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva to discuss truce plan

www.thedailystar.net

Trump blasts Ukraine for 'zero gratitude' to US as talks start
Comments while US and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva to discuss truce plan

Photo: Alex Wroblewski / AFP

US President Donald Trump on Sunday once again accused Ukraine of showing a lack of "gratitude" for Washington's support against Russia's invasion, as senior US and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva to discuss a proposal aimed at halting the war.

"UKRAINE 'LEADERSHIP' HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, while reiterating frustration at the war's "HUMAN CATASTROPHE" and attacking his predecessor Joe Biden. Notably, he offered no direct condemnation of Moscow.

Trump's remarks against Ukraine and US allies reflected his growing irritation over the conflict, which began when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, seizing and devastating large areas of Ukrainian territory.

During his presidential campaign last year, Trump claimed he could broker peace within 24 hours. However, his sporadic diplomatic initiatives have achieved little, and he now faces sharp criticism from within his own party over a new 28-point plan under discussion in Geneva, which critics say would hand Russia several of its key war objectives.

Although Trump has previously said he is disappointed in Vladimir Putin, he rarely criticises the Kremlin leader directly or condemns the invasion, instead placing pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In his latest social media post, Trump also attacked European nations for continuing to purchase Russian oil and labelled Biden "crooked Joe" for supplying Ukraine with weapons "free, free, free."

The only reference to Putin in the lengthy post was Trump's claim that the Russian president believed "Now is my chance!" to invade Ukraine solely because "Sleepy Joe" Biden was in office.

Zelensky, meanwhile, has repeatedly expressed gratitude for the extensive US military support, as Ukrainian forces continue to resist Russia's occupation across a battlefront stretching hundreds of miles.​

 

[Lulldapull]

Oh bhai check da news. Zalintsky has stolen $45 billion.

 

[Saif]

Can the world afford to miss latest US move to end Ukraine war?

There are moments in global affairs when the trajectory of history pauses just long enough for diplomacy to intervene. The latest US-driven effort to broker an end to the war in Ukraine may well be one of those rare moments. After more than 1,370 days of bloodshed, displacement, economic upheaval a

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Can the world afford to miss latest US move to end Ukraine war?
MIR MOSTAFIZUR RAHAMAN

Published :
Nov 24, 2025 22:27
Updated :
Nov 24, 2025 23:10

There are moments in global affairs when the trajectory of history pauses just long enough for diplomacy to intervene. The latest US-driven effort to broker an end to the war in Ukraine may well be one of those rare moments. After more than 1,370 days of bloodshed, displacement, economic upheaval and escalating geopolitical risk, a faint ray of hope has emerged - fragile, fraught and fiercely contested, but unmistakable.

Last week, the Trump administration quietly circulated a 28-point proposal to both Kyiv and Moscow. What came next was surprising: neither side rejected it outright. Russia called it a "potential basis for negotiations." Ukraine signalled that, with revisions, the proposal could be workable. And on Sunday, representatives from both nations arrived in Geneva for the first serious talks in months, convened under U.S. auspices.

This moment did not materialise by accident. Since returning to power, President Donald Trump has made ending the Ukraine war a top diplomatic priority, hosting several rounds of back-channel consultations, most of which stalled midway. Yet the newest initiative has moved further and faster than previous ones, largely because the battlefield reality - and the global economic situation - is pressing all parties toward a deal.

The world, and especially countries like Bangladesh that have already endured the double shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, desperately needs a geopolitical ceasefire. The surge in commodity prices, energy instability, disrupted grain exports and volatile financial markets have collectively strained economies that were barely recovering from the pandemic's devastation. For developing countries, there is no path to sustainable recovery without a reduction in geopolitical conflict.

The 28-point U.S. proposal - portions of which have been leaked - is not a triumph for either side. It is designed as a compromise that will make many Ukrainians uneasy and many Russians dissatisfied. That, perhaps, is why it has a chance.

According to reports cited by media, the draft envisions Ukrainian troop withdrawal from parts of eastern Donetsk now under Kyiv's control, effectively affirming Russia's de facto control over Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea - regions that Moscow now considers non-negotiable. It also suggests freezing the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia along their current positions, even though both territories remain partially occupied.

Such concessions would be bitter for Kyiv. But the proposal also demands painful sacrifices from Moscow. Russia would be "reintegrated into the global economy," but only through a complex and staged lifting of sanctions. It would be invited to rejoin the G7, forming a new G8 - a symbolic reversal of its pariah status. Yet it would also be expected to pledge not to invade neighbouring countries again, an assurance Moscow has resisted making.

The most controversial element for Kyiv is likely the limitation on Ukraine's armed forces - capping personnel at 600,000 down from nearly 880,000 today - and the requirement that Ukraine abandon its NATO membership aspirations. In exchange, the U.S. promises "reliable security guarantees," though the nature of those guarantees remains murky.

This ambiguity is both deliberate and dangerous. Ukraine has long argued that without NATO membership or iron-clad security assurances, any agreement with Russia risks being a temporary pause before the next invasion. Moscow, for its part, has demanded precisely such restrictions as proof that Ukraine will not become a forward operating post for Western military power.

The contours of the deal thus reflect a geopolitical trade-off: a reduced Ukrainian military, a frozen conflict line, Russian territorial gains, Western economic reintegration of Moscow - all balanced by a U.S.-backed security framework intended to deter future aggression.

It is not perfect. But it may be the best chance available.

To understand why, one must confront the evolving battlefield reality. Russia now controls roughly 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory. Its forces, despite suffering heavy casualties, have made incremental gains across eastern Ukraine. Moscow has demonstrated that it is willing to expend considerable lives and resources to secure the Donbas and maintain control of occupied territories. Ukraine's counteroffensives, once emboldened by Western support, have slowed due to ammunition shortages, manpower constraints and growing political fatigue in Washington and European capitals.

President Volodymyr Zelensky knows this. His country's survival has depended on U.S. aid, and without it the military balance may tilt decisively toward Moscow. Trump's ultimatum - urging Kyiv to accept the proposal before Thursday - was blunt, but it reflects the shifting strategic environment. Ukraine's battlefield leverage is diminishing, not expanding, and the promise of indefinite Western support is weakening.

Yet Russia, too, faces limits. Its economy, though resilient under sanctions, is stretched. Its demographic losses are mounting. A prolonged war risks further international isolation and deepening dependence on China. President Vladimir Putin may calculate that a negotiated settlement granting him control over key territories - and restoring Russia's place in global economic institutions - is preferable to an endless, costly conflict.

Still, optimism must be tempered. The gaps between the parties remain wide. Ukraine will resist any plan that formalises Russian land seizures. Russia will reject any demand that includes full withdrawal. Western governments remain split over the scope of sanctions relief. And Trump's approach - transactional, unpredictable - could fracture the diplomatic consensus needed to enforce any agreement.

Yet there is a deeper truth: the world cannot afford another decade of this war. The economic repercussions have been global, persistent and profound. Every month the conflict continues, food prices surge, supply chains fray, energy markets destabilise, and fragile economies face new strains. For countries like Bangladesh, still grappling with pandemic recovery, the war is an imported catastrophe.

The global economy cannot recover without geopolitical stability. And geopolitical stability cannot be restored unless the war in Ukraine - the largest European conflict since 1945 - is brought to an end.

That means compromise. It means concessions. And it means accepting a peace that will leave bruises on all sides.

The United States, which has shaped the battlefield by supplying weapons and financing Ukraine's defence, now seeks to shape the peace. But the responsibility does not lie with Washington alone. Europe must engage more fully, Ukraine must weigh its long-term survival against short-term losses, and Russia must choose between reintegration and isolation.

The alternative is a grinding, endless conflict that will claim tens of thousands more lives, deepen global economic pain, and entrench a dangerous militarised standoff in the heart of Europe.

Peace requires courage - and not just on the battlefield. It requires political courage, moral courage and strategic imagination. As negotiations continue in Geneva, both Kyiv and Moscow must decide whether they can accept an imperfect settlement for the sake of their own people and the stability of the world.

History rarely offers second chances. This may be one. Let us hope the parties involved do not squander it - because the world cannot bear the cost of failure.​

 

[Saif]

Russia hammers Kyiv as talks over US plan rumble on

Russia rained missiles and drones on Kyiv overnight, killing six people, as frantic diplomatic efforts over a draft US plan to end the war intensified.

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Russia hammers Kyiv as talks over US plan rumble on
Agence France-Presse . Kyiv, Ukraine 25 November, 2025, 23:57

Law enforcement officers inspect a crater next to the heavily damaged logistics hub of the Novus supermarket following Russian missiles and drones strikes in Kyiv on Tuesday, amid Russian invasion in Ukraine. | AFP photo

Russia rained missiles and drones on Kyiv overnight, killing six people, as frantic diplomatic efforts over a draft US plan to end the war intensified.

Negotiators from the United States, Ukraine and Russia were all due in Abu Dhabi, US and British media reported, days after president Donald Trump tabled a 28-point plan that would enshrine most of Russia’s hardline demands.

People crowded into Kyiv’s deep metro stations overnight amid the attack, setting up sleeping bags, tents and camping chairs, AFP reporters saw.

Powerful explosions rocked the city beginning around 1:00am (2300 GMT), while thick smoke, illuminated red and orange by the fire from Ukrainian air defence, covered parts of Kyiv as Russian missiles and drones flew towards the capital.

Fires raged in multi-storey apartment blocks hit in the strikes, which president Volodymyr Zelensky said killed six people. Elderly locals scooped up their belongings and draped themselves in blankets and coats after being evacuated in the middle of the night.

Ukrainian officials slammed the Russian attack as a sign of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to end the war, launched by his February 2022 invasion. ‘Putin gave his terrorist response to the United States’ and president Trump’s peace proposals. With a barrage of missiles and drones against Ukraine,’ foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said on social media.

Russia fired 464 drones and 22 missiles at Ukraine in the overnight barrage, Kyiv’s air force said.

Ukraine also fired almost 250 drones at Russia overnight, Moscow’s defence said, killing three people in the southern border region of Rostov in what the governor of nearby Krasnodar called one of the ‘most sustained and massive attacks’ of the war.

Trump initially gave Kyiv until November 27 — the American holiday of Thanksgiving — to respond to his proposal to end the fighting, a timeline and blueprint that European leaders baulked at.

A senior source briefed on the matter said it would ‘become clear’ on Tuesday whether that deadline still holds.

Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday that Kyiv was pushing for a meeting between Zelensky and Trump ‘at the earliest possible date in November to finalise the remaining stages and reach an agreement’.

Kyiv and its allies spent the weekend hammering away at Washington’s plan, which initially required Ukraine to cede territory, cut its military and pledge never to join NATO.

An updated version, aiming to ‘uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty’, was thrashed out at emergency talks in Geneva, but has not been published.

Washington, Europe and Kyiv have all hailed the progress made, however.

Putin had welcomed Trump’s plan as a possible basis for a peace deal, and the Kremlin has called changes proposed by the EU ‘not constructive’.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow was expecting the United States to send it any updated version.

Countries supporting Kyiv are due to hold a video call Tuesday.

‘We must be cognisant that Russia will not ease its pressure on Ukraine,’ Zelensky said ahead of the meeting.

France’s Emmanuel Macron warned against any ‘capitulation’ by Kyiv.

‘The only question we don’t have an answer to is whether Russia is ready to make a lasting peace,’ he said in an interview broadcast Tuesday.

Putin has threatened to seize more Ukrainian territory if Kyiv walks away from the negotiations.

Russia’s military already occupies around a fifth of Ukraine — much of it ravaged by years of fighting.

Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed since Russia launched the invasion. Millions have fled the east of the country, their homes and cities destroyed.

The United States had bypassed Europe with the original plan, and many EU governments were unsettled by the prospect of ending the war on Moscow’s terms.

The White House has pushed back on criticism that Trump was favouring Russia, calling it a ‘complete and total fallacy’.

Ivan Zadontsev, a sergeant in the Ukrainian army, gave the talks a cautious welcome.

‘This is healthy thought about negotiations. We also are getting tired of war; we need a break,’ he said.

But the proposals by both the United States and EU ‘do not serve Ukraine’s national interests,’ he said.​

 

[Saif]

Trump sends Witkoff to Moscow in hopes of finalising Ukraine deal

An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia's favor has been replaced by one taking in more of Ukraine's interests.

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Trump sends Witkoff to Moscow in hopes of finalising Ukraine deal
AFP Washington
Published: 26 Nov 2025, 14: 49

US envoy Steve WitkoffAFP

Donald Trump said Tuesday he is sending his envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week as the US president seeks to close out a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that there were "only a few remaining points of disagreement" -- but European leaders were skeptical, and Russian missiles continued to rain down on Ukraine.

He also expressed hope to meet "soon" with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, "but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages."

Trump later told journalists aboard Air Force One that Witkoff may be joined in Moscow by the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner.


An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia's favor has been replaced by one taking in more of Ukraine's interests, and an official familiar with the new version told AFP it was "significantly better."

However, US officials acknowledged that "delicate" issues remain.

French President Emmanuel Macron threw cold water on the idea of a rapid solution, stating there is "clearly no Russian willingness" for a ceasefire or to discuss the new, more Ukraine-friendly proposal.

Frantic discussions have been underway since the weekend when Ukrainian and US representatives huddled in Geneva to discuss Trump's controversial, initial 28-point plan for settling the bloody conflict.

The latest talks including US and Russian delegates were taking place in Abu Dhabi, US media reported. Leaders of a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine also met by video on Tuesday.

US negotiator Dan Driscoll emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian counterparts, with his spokesman saying: "The talks are going well and we remain optimistic."

The White House cited "tremendous progress," while cautioning "there are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out."

But the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continued unabated.

On Tuesday night, Russia launched a major attack on Zaporizhzhia that damaged at least seven high-rise buildings and caused 12 people to be hospitalized, the head of the regional military administration said.

The night before, powerful explosions rocked Kyiv beginning around 1:00 am local time, as Russian drones and missiles rained down, setting fires in apartment buildings. City officials said seven people were killed.

Thick smoke, turning red and orange in the blizzard of Ukrainian air defense fire, rose over the capital as residents fled underground into metro stations, according to AFP reporters.

Tough road ahead
Trump, who long boasted he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war within 24 hours, announced last week that he wanted his proposal approved by Kyiv by this Thursday -- the US Thanksgiving holiday.

But the initial plan, pushing numerous Russian war aims, sparked alarm in Ukraine and Europe. Among its points were prohibitions on Ukraine ever joining NATO and the surrender of swaths of new territory to Russia.

The updated plan clearly pleases Kyiv more. The official familiar with the text told AFP that one key improvement was raising a proposed cap on the country's future military forces from 600,000 to 800,000 members.

Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday there was "common understanding on the core" of the deal between Ukraine and the United States.

However, remaining details should be hammered out in direct talks "at the earliest suitable date," he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: "There's still a long way to go and a tough road ahead."​

 

[Saif]

Putin says US-Ukraine text could form basis for future peace deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that outline draft peace proposals discussed by the United States and Ukraine could become the basis of future agreements to end the conflict in Ukraine, but that if not Russia would fight on. US President Donald Trump has long said he wants to end

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Putin says US-Ukraine text could form basis for future peace deal

REUTERS
Published :
Nov 27, 2025 22:48
Updated :
Nov 27, 2025 22:48

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference following the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Nov 27, 2025. Photo : Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that outline draft peace proposals discussed by the United States and Ukraine could become the basis of future agreements to end the conflict in Ukraine, but that if not Russia would fight on.

US President Donald Trump has long said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two, but his efforts so far, including a summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August, have not brought peace.

A leaked 28-point US peace plan emerged last week, spooking Ukrainian and European officials who felt it bowed to Moscow's key demands on NATO, Moscow's control of a fifth of Ukraine and restrictions on Ukraine's army.

European powers then gave their counter-proposal for peace and at talks in Geneva, the US and Ukraine said they had created an "updated and refined peace framework" to end the war.

Putin, speaking in Bishkek after a summit with the leaders of a grouping of former Soviet republics, told reporters that the discussions so far were not about a draft agreement of any kind but about sets of issues.

He said that in Geneva, the US and Ukraine had decided to divide up the 28 points into four separate components - and that a copy had been transmitted to Moscow.

"In general, we agree that this could be the basis for future agreements," Putin said. "We see that the American side takes into account our position."

Putin said that some things still needed to be discussed. If Europe wanted a pledge not to attack it, then Russia was willing to give such a formal pledge, he said, though he added that it was "complete nonsense" to suggest Russia would attack Europe.

THE CHOICE IS WAR OR PEACE, PUTIN SAYS

Putin mixed a clear public expression of readiness to engage with the Trump administration over a possible peace plan for Ukraine with several warnings that Russia was prepared to fight on if necessary and take more of Ukraine.

Russian forces control more than 19 percent of Ukraine, or 115,600 square km, up one percentage point from two years ago, and have advanced in 2025 at the fastest pace since 2022, according to pro-Ukrainian maps.

Russia, Putin noted, was being told that it should cease the fighting but needed Kyiv's forces to pull back before it could do so.

"Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they hold, and then the fighting will cease. If they don't leave, then we shall achieve this by armed means. That's it," Putin said.

Putin said that he considered the Ukrainian leadership to be illegitimate and so it was legally impossible to sign a deal with Kyiv.

It was therefore important, he said, to ensure that any agreement was recognised by the international community - and that the international community recognised Russian gains in Ukraine.

"Therefore, broadly speaking, of course, we ultimately want to reach an agreement with Ukraine. But right now, this is practically impossible. Impossible legally," Putin said.

He said that the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and the eastern Donbas region should be a topic for discussions with the US.

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow early next week, Putin said. US sanctions on Russian oil companies were unexpected, he added.

Commenting on the leak of a recording of a call between top advisers to Trump and Putin, the Kremlin chief rejected the suggestion that Witkoff had shown himself to be biased towards Moscow in peace talks over Ukraine, describing it as nonsense.

"It would be astonishing if he ... rained curses down upon our heads, was very rude and then arrived to develop ties with us," Putin said of Witkoff, casting him as a patriot defending US interests.​

 

[Saif]

Russia, Ukraine prepare for more talks with US

Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday they were ready for more talks with the United States to end almost four years of war, after US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner left the Kremlin with no breakthrough on a peace deal...

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Russia, Ukraine prepare for more talks with US
Agence France-Presse . Moscow, Russia 04 December, 2025, 00:20

Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday they were ready for more talks with the United States to end almost four years of war, after US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner left the Kremlin with no breakthrough on a peace deal.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s talks with the US officials ended in the early hours of Wednesday, with neither side announcing concrete progress.

The Kremlin said that no ‘compromise’ had been found on the crucial question of territories.

The morning after the meeting, the Kremlin said it had told the Americans what was ‘unacceptable’ to them.

Witkoff and Kushner brought an updated version of a US plan to end Europe’s bloodiest war in 80 years, after the US held talks with Kyiv.

The Kremlin insisted it was incorrect to say Putin had rejected the plan in its entirety, and that Russia was still committed to diplomacy — despite the Russian leader issuing a stark warning that Moscow was ‘ready’ to fight Europe if it wanted war.

‘We are still ready to meet as many times as is needed to reach a peace settlement,’ said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky says any deal should offer lasting peace and ensure Moscow does not attack again.

As the Americans returned from Moscow, Zelensky announced that his top negotiator Rustem Umerov and army ground chief Andriy Gnatov were headed for Brussels, where NATO foreign ministers were gathering.

They will also travel to the US to meet with Trump’s envoys, Zelensky said on social media.

Washington’s Steve Witkoff has held a string of Kremlin meetings but has so far not met Ukrainian officials.

NATO foreign ministers are due to discuss Washington’s push to end the fighting in Brussels.

‘Ukrainian representatives will brief their colleagues in Europe on what is known following yesterday’s contacts by the American side in Moscow,’ Zelensky said on social media.

The fresh talks come as NATO pledges to buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of US arms for Kyiv.

‘The peace talks are on-going, that’s good, but at the same time, we have to make sure that whilst they take place — and we are not sure when they will end — that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going,’ NATO chief Mark Rutte said.

European countries have expressed fears Washington and Moscow will reach agreements without them, and have spent the last weeks trying to amend the US plan so that it does not force Kyiv to capitulate.

In Moscow, tensions with Europe were palpable.

Putin delivered an exceptionally hawkish statement on Tuesday ahead of meeting the Americans.

‘We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,’ he said.

His spokesman on Wednesday accused Europe of being ‘obsessed with inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia’.

Moscow has felt emboldened in recent months by the growing pace of its army’s advance in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Russia claimed control of east Ukrainian hub of Pokrovsk.

Ukraine on Tuesday said that fighting for the town — which had 60,000 people before Moscow launched its 2022 offensive — was on-going.

Moscow on Wednesday claimed another village in the Zaporizhzhia region, where it has also made considerable advances in recent weeks.

Russia occupies large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin has insisted that Kyiv surrender the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed as its own for any peace deal to be possible.​

 

[Saif]

How Europe wants to unlock Russia's frozen cash for Ukraine

The European Union is trying to lend Ukraine tens of billions of dollars, as support from Washington wanes, Russia ekes out gains on the battlefield and Kyiv edges closer to a funding crunch early next year. The 27-member bloc is discussing borrowing against Russian assets held in Europe frozen by

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

How Europe wants to unlock Russia's frozen cash for Ukraine

REUTERS
Published :
Dec 04, 2025 23:21
Updated :
Dec 04, 2025 23:21

European Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Sept 19, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman

The European Union is trying to lend Ukraine tens of billions of dollars, as support from Washington wanes, Russia ekes out gains on the battlefield and Kyiv edges closer to a funding crunch early next year.

The 27-member bloc is discussing borrowing against Russian assets held in Europe frozen by sanctions after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

However, the plan to tap roughly 210 billion euros ($245 billion) of Russian assets in Europe, the lion's share of which is now cash, remains contested.

Fears of retaliation by Russia in Belgium, where most of the money is stored, have bogged down discussions, prompting EU officials to devise creative ways of unlocking the money without formally seizing it.

EU leaders are due to meet this month to decide but continued objections in Belgium, which fears being left on the hook if sued by Russia, are confounding efforts.

If attempts to use Russian assets fail, there is an alternative: borrowing, using headroom in the European Union's shared budget.

This would, however, push Europe, already heavily indebted, further into the red. Unanimous EU agreement is needed and Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban has dismissed the idea, urging Brussels to stop funding a war that cannot be won.

WHAT ARE RUSSIA'S FROZEN ASSETS?

The European Union froze hundreds of billions of Russian assets - cash, as well as shares and bonds - following the invasion of Ukraine.

The move, its single biggest penalty on Russia, is now one of Europe's few sources of leverage as it seeks to join the peace talks between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv.

Euroclear, a securities depository equivalent to a financial vault, holds the lion's share of sanctioned Russian wealth in Europe - more than 180 billion euros ($210 billion).

HAS EUROPE TAPPED RUSSIA'S CASH YET?

The West has until now engineered loans and payments to Ukraine, using the interest paid on the frozen Russian cash, which Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced as theft.

Going further than this, however, carries risks.

Belgium has stepped up its opposition to the plan, demanding EU partners share responsibility if the move is challenged.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has warned that taking the frozen assets may be considered by Moscow as tantamount to an act justifying war.

There could be fallout for Western investors, who still own tens of billions of assets stranded in Russia, from factories to cash.

WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION'S PLAN?

Ukraine's funding needs in 2026 and 2027 are roughly 135 billion euros - about 52 billion for running the country and 83 billion for defence. The European Union is seeking to have this money in place by the second quarter of 2026.

It has proposed a "reparations" loan, paid for by the frozen Russian cash. The deal would require Euroclear to invest the cash in a debt contract issued by the EU.

It works like this: the European Union borrows cash from Euroclear, lending it on to Ukraine. Ukraine would repay the money but only after it has been paid compensation by Russia for the damage caused by the invasion.

Other financial companies with similar frozen Russian property, including in France and Germany, would also be drawn into the scheme.

About 90 billion euros would be given over two years.

WILL IT WORK?

There are obstacles.

The Commission insists it can press ahead if 15 out of 27 member countries, representing at least 65 percent of the bloc's population, vote in favour.

The EU is also seeking to ensure that Russia's sanctioned assets stay frozen by using an emergency law to override individual countries' ability to vote to derail the scheme.

It is offering European Union guarantees to shield Belgium from being sued. But the country has not dropped its opposition, making it politically difficult to seal a final deal.

The stakes for Belgium are high. Germany has suggested that recent drone sightings over airports and military bases in Belgium were a message not to touch the frozen assets. Moscow has denied any such connection but has promised a "painful response" if assets are seized.​

 

[Saif]

European allies back Zelensky

Ukraine’s European allies put on a show of support for president Volodymyr Zelensky Monday as they expressed scepticism about parts of the US proposal to end the war with Russia...

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European allies back Zelensky
Agence France-Presse . London, United Kingdom 08 December, 2025, 22:54

(From left to right) Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron take part in a meeting at Number 10 Downing Street in central London on December 8, 2025. | AFP photo

Ukraine’s European allies put on a show of support for president Volodymyr Zelensky Monday as they expressed scepticism about parts of the US proposal to end the war with Russia.

British prime minister Keir Starmer hosted Zelensky, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron at his Downing Street residence in London.

The discussions came after president Donald Trump accused Zelensky of not reading his administration’s proposal on a deal to end Russia’s invasion following almost four years of war.

That came after days of talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Miami ended on Saturday with no apparent breakthrough, with Zelensky committing to further negotiations.

‘I’m sceptical about some of the details which we are seeing in the documents coming from the US side, but we have to talk about it. That’s why we are here,’ Merz said at the top of Monday’s meeting, without specifying which version of the proposal he was referring to.

Macron said the ‘main issue’ is finding a ‘convergence’ between the European and Ukrainian position and that of the United States.

Starmer hugged Zelensky as he welcomed the Ukrainian leader to Downing Street shortly after 1:00 pm, with the talks lasting a little over an hour.

The UK premier had earlier said he would not be pushing Zelensky to accept the deal spearheaded by Trump’s administration, the initial version of which was criticised by Ukraine’s allies as overly favourable to Russia.

‘I won’t be putting pressure on the president,’ Starmer told ITV News.

‘The most important thing is to ensure that if there is a cessation of hostilities, and I hope there is, it has to be just and it has to be lasting, which is what we will be focused on this afternoon,’ the UK prime minister added.

But Zelensky said as he headed into the meeting that ‘there are some things which we can’t manage without Americans, things which we can’t manage without Europe, and that’s why we need to make some important decisions.’

An official familiar with the negotiations told AFP on Monday that territory was still ‘the most problematic issue’ in the negotiations.

The tricky subject of how Europe can potentially best use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine was also to be discussed.

A UK official told reporters that Starmer would ‘update President Zelensky on our wider support today, including through the use of the value of immobilized Russian sovereign assets, which we hope to see movement on soon’.

A European Union plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv’s fight against Russia would have ‘far-reaching consequences’ for the EU, Moscow’s ambassador to Germany warned last week.

Earlier, Zelensky said he had joined his negotiators for a ‘very substantive and constructive’ call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during the Miami negotiations.

‘Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace,’ Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that the parties agreed ‘on the next steps and the format of the talks with America’.

But Trump criticised his Ukrainian counterpart on Sunday, telling reporters: ‘I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal that was as of a few hours ago.’

Witkoff and Kushner had met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin last week, with Moscow rejecting parts of the US proposal.

Before Monday’s talks, Macron slammed what he called Russia’s ‘escalatory path’.

‘We will continue these efforts with the Americans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, without which no robust and lasting peace will be possible,’ he wrote on X.

‘We must continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to choose peace.’

Washington’s initial plan to bring an end to the conflict involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.

But the nature of the security guarantees that Ukraine could get to fend off any future Russian invasion has so far been shrouded in uncertainty, beyond an initial plan saying that jets to defend Kyiv could be based in Poland.

Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.

But he has also grown frustrated that his efforts to persuade Putin to end the war, including a summit in Alaska, have failed to produce results, and he recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.​