Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy says Kyiv needs NATO for survival

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says an invitation to articulation NATO is indispensable to warrant that the country has a future. 

Zelenskyy said helium accepted that the alliance's defence umbrella could not use to Russian-occupied territory.

The comments came as two of the EU's apical officials paid a symbolic sojourn connected the archetypal time of their caller roles. 

In the confederate Ukrainian metropolis of Kherson, 3 radical were killed erstwhile a drone deed a minibus.

Here are the latest developments successful Russia's warfare successful Ukraine connected Sunday, December 1.

12/01/2024December 1, 2024

Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs NATO for survival

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said an invitation to articulation the NATO subject confederation is needed for his country's endurance arsenic it struggles to support itself from Russian forces.

"An invitation for Ukraine to articulation NATO is simply a indispensable happening for our survival," Zelensky said aft holding talks with new apical EU leaders successful Kyiv.

Zelenskyy told a quality league that immoderate invitation to articulation the confederation indispensable use to each Ukraine's territory.

He said the country needed information guarantees from NATO and much weapons to support itself earlier immoderate talks with Russia.

"Only erstwhile we person each these items and we are strong, aft that, we person to marque the precise important... docket of gathering with 1 oregon different of the killers," Zelenskyy said.

However, helium accepted that NATO's defence umbrella could not use to the parts of Ukraine that are occupied with the warfare inactive ongoing.

He besides said determination was inactive clip for the United States to person "skeptics" successful Europe that Ukraine should beryllium invited to articulation NATO.

12/01/2024December 1, 2024

Putin approves grounds defence spending

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved fund plans, raising military spending for 2025 to grounds levels arsenic Moscow pursues its warfare successful Ukraine.

Some 32.5% of the fund posted connected a authorities website Sunday has been allocated for nationalist defense. That amounts to 13.5 trillion rubles (over $145 billion, €137 billion) — up from a reported 28.3% this year. The sum is equivalent to much than 6% of Russia's GDP.

Russian lawmakers had already approved the plans successful the past 10 days.

Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine since February 2022 is Europe's biggest struggle since World War II and has drained the resources of some countries.

Earlier this year, Putin said Moscow was already spending adjacent to 9% of its system connected defence and information — the highest level since the Cold War.

The fig besides includes parts of the fund that are fundamentally information spending but which are not classified arsenic "national defense."

12/01/2024December 1, 2024

Faeser warns of progressively assertive Russia

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has warned of increasing confrontation betwixt Russia and NATO, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin nary longer has immoderate scruples. 

In an interrogation with the Handelsblatt paper published connected Sunday, Faeser said the Kremlin had go much assertive toward NATO members similar Germany since it launched its full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022.

"Since the Russian warfare of aggression against Ukraine, we person experienced a turning constituent successful interior security," she told the newspaper. "Russia is waging a hybrid war successful Europe. It is evident that disinformation campaigns, acts of sabotage and cyberattacks are state-controlled." 

However, Faeser urged restraint and judiciousness, saying, "We indispensable proceed to enactment decisively, but astatine the aforesaid clip prudently."

12/01/2024December 1, 2024

Medvedev says Georgia is 'on Ukrainian path'

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has claimed that an attempted gyration is taking spot successful Georgia, adding this was reminiscent of developments seen antecedently successful Ukraine.

Medvedev said connected Telegram that Georgia was "moving rapidly on the Ukrainian path, into the acheronian abyss. Usually this benignant of happening ends precise badly."

"Of people not," Medvedev told journalists erstwhile questioned astir whether the ruling Georgian Dream enactment would hold to clasp a caller ballot arsenic demanded by the country's president, opposition, and the European Parliament.

Georgian Dream claimed triumph successful the October elections that person since been contested implicit alleged interference from Russia. 

Medvedev appeared to beryllium alluding to 2014, erstwhile forces loyal to pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich killed scores of demonstrators successful Kyiv. That prompted a fashionable uprising — the Maidan revolution — which caused Yankovich to flee.

Moscow responded by sending undercover troops to prehend the Crimea peninsula and began supporting separatist forces successful the Donbas region.

On Saturday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that unspecified "foreign entities" wished to spot the "Ukrainization" of Georgia with a "Maidan-style scenario." 

12/01/2024December 1, 2024

New EU officials marque symbolic travel successful Kyiv

European Council President Antonio Costa and EU overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas met with Ukrainian warfare veterans astatine Maidan Square Image: Ansgar Haase/dpa/picture alliance

Two of the European Union's apical officials marked their archetypal time successful the station with a sojourn to the Ukrainian capital.

European Council President Antonio Costa and EU overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas arrived successful the metropolis with a beardown connection of enactment for Ukraine.

The travel comes arsenic doubts deepen implicit an expected withdrawal of enactment from Kyiv by a caller US medication led by Donald Trump.

"From time 1 of the war, the EU has stood by the broadside of Ukraine," Costa posted connected X, alongside a photograph of himself, Kallas and EU enlargement main Marta Kos.

"From time 1 of our mandate, we are reaffirming our unwavering enactment to the Ukrainian people."

The brace regenerate erstwhile European Council president Charles Michel and the bloc's erstwhile apical diplomat Josep Borrell.

They are the bloc's apical officials on with European Commission main Ursula von der Leyen, and are acceptable to clasp talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Their sojourn comes arsenic Russia unleashes devastating barrages against Ukraine's powerfulness grid and with Kyiv's fatigued forces losing crushed to Moscow's frontline offensive.

"The concern successful Ukraine is very, precise grave," Kallas, a erstwhile premier curate of Estonia, said. "But it's wide that it comes astatine a precise precocious outgo for Russia arsenic well."

12/01/2024December 1, 2024

Three killed successful drone onslaught connected Kherson minibus

Officials successful the confederate Ukrainian metropolis of Kherson accidental 3 radical died erstwhile a Russian drone struck a minibus connected Sunday morning.

Kherson determination politician Oleksandr Prokudin said 7 others were wounded successful the attack.

"The force struck different stroke astatine civilians by dropping an explosive instrumentality connected a minibus," Prokudin said.

"Russian subject forces attacked acquisition institutions; and residential areas of settlements successful the region, successful particular, they damaged 11 backstage houses. The occupiers besides damaged a state pipeline, warehouses and garages, a bus, and backstage cars."

While Russian forces withdrew from Kherson metropolis successful precocious 2022, they person regularly attacked the determination capital with artillery and drones from the different broadside of the Dnipro River.

12/01/2024December 1, 2024

Four killed successful Dnipropetrovsk, fig of injured rises

Ukrainian officials accidental 4 radical were killed and astatine slightest 24 wounded successful a Russian rocket onslaught connected the Ukrainian concern portion of Dnipropetrovsk.

Regional politician Serhiy Lysak announced the emergence successful the fig of injured on Sunday. He said that, of the injured, 18 were hospitalized with 7 of them successful captious condition. 

The onslaught connected Saturday deed the colony of Tsarychanka, astir 50 kilometers (30 miles) northbound of the regional capital, Dnipro.

"Ordinary civilian buildings were damaged — a residential gathering and a shop," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said successful his evening address, adding that a rescue cognition was underway. 

rc/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)