Leader Zelenskyy Declares Ukraine Is 10% Off from Peace, Yet Not at Any Cost

In a year-end message, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that a potential peace agreement was ninety percent prepared. "This deal is 90 percent ready, ten percent remains," he noted. "And that is much more than simply numbers."

A Deal Requires Robust Guarantees, Not a Fragile Truce

Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine wants an end to the war but would not accept it at "any possible price". "What does Ukraine want? Peace? Absolutely. At any cost? No," he said. "Our goal is an end to the war but not the end of Ukraine."

"Are we tired? Extremely. Does this mean we are ready to capitulate? Any person who thinks so is deeply mistaken," he added.

He voiced skepticism about Moscow's aims, stating that should forces withdrew from the Donbas region, the war would not necessarily end. "Withdraw from the eastern regions, and it will all be over. This is how a lie translates," he commented.

European Allies to Plan Post-War Security

In related news, France's leader Emmanuel Macron announced that EU leaders and allies gathering in Paris on 6 January will establish solid commitments towards ensuring the security of Ukraine following a potential agreement with Russia is brokered.

Cross-Border Attacks Continue

Meanwhile, accounts of military strikes persisted. A source from Ukraine's SBU reported that Ukraine's long-range drones struck a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Rybinsk, sparking a significant fire.

On the other side, in Ukraine, a Russian-launched aerial assault hit apartment buildings and the power grid in Odesa, wounding several people, among them minors. Officials said multiple buildings were affected and considerable harm was caused to a couple of power facilities.

Contested Claims Over Aerial Incident

Regarding previous allegations of a drone attack aimed at a property of Russia's president, American and European officials are in agreement that Ukrainian forces was not behind the event. A report stated that US security agencies determined the alleged attack "never occurred".

Reacting, Russia's defence ministry published a video claiming to show debris of a destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle. An official from Ukraine's foreign ministry dismissed the evidence as "laughable" and suggested it showed a lack of seriousness in fabricating the narrative.

EU Diplomat Labels Allegations a "Diversion"

The EU's top diplomat called Moscow's assertions "a deliberate diversion". "Nobody should believe baseless allegations from the aggressor," she said.

Other Updates

• North Korean Role: North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, according to state media praised troops operating in an "foreign land" in a new year's message. Reports indicate the country has sent thousands of personnel to aid the Russian invasion in the region.
• Restrictions Extension: The US have according to a minister given a temporary exemption from sanctions to a Serbia-based, largely Russian-controlled energy firm until 23 January. The company operates Serbia's sole oil refinery.