Russia-Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy back in Ukraine after US trip
Ukraine news from December 22: Ukraine’s leader returns from his first international trip since Russia’s invasion.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Ukraine after addressing the United States Congress in Washington, DC and meeting President Joe Biden.
- Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov says the Ukraine frontline is “stable” as the Kremlin’s forces focus on “liberating” the eastern Donetsk region.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Ukraine after addressing the United States Congress in Washington, DC and meeting President Joe Biden.
- Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov says the Ukraine frontline is “stable” as the Kremlin’s forces focus on “liberating” the eastern Donetsk region.
- Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu visits his armed forces in Ukraine.
- The Kremlin says the US sending a Patriot missile system to Ukraine and lack of discussions on peace talks are evidence Washington is fighting a “proxy war” with Russia.
The live blog is now closed. Thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for December 22:
What are Patriot missile defences and why does Ukraine want them?
The Patriot air defence systems are the most powerful such weapons to be delivered to Ukraine yet.
The US announced it will supply Kyiv with the advanced long-range air defence system that can intercept ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
Al Jazeera’s Alex Gatopoulos explains how effective the weapons are.
US Congress clears spending deal that includes Ukraine aid
US senators approved a sweeping annual spending package that includes almost $44.9bn in aid to Ukraine.
The $1.7 trillion blueprint passed by a vote of 68-29 and now goes to the House of Representatives for a final vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
Lawmakers were racing to get the bill approved before a partial government shutdown would occur at midnight Friday, and many were anxious to complete the task before a deep freeze and wintry conditions left them stranded in Washington, DC for the holidays.
Russian court jails man for three years for Ukraine remarks
A Russian court has sentenced a man to three years in prison for spreading “false information” about Russia’s offensive in Ukraine on a pirate radio station, AFP has reported.
Vladimir Rumyantsev, a 61-year-old worker in Vologda city in northwest Russia, was found guilty of broadcasting “false information” that was “full of hatred” against the Russian army from his apartment in Vologda, the regional court said on Telegram.
This included claims that the Russian military had committed “violent robberies” and perpetrated the “destruction of local areas” and the “rape of young women” in Ukraine.
New legislation came into force after the start of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine to penalise what the authorities deem to be damaging or false information about the Russian military.
US Congress moves to lock in $44.9bn for Ukraine
The US Congress is set to allocate $44.9bn in aid to Ukraine, a day after Zelenskyy delivered an emotional appeal for continued US support.
The Senate was expected to approve the aid as part of an enormous $1.7-trillion government spending bill now going through Congress.
The bill funds the government through the fiscal year ending in September, but it would give the Pentagon authority to spend the money through 2025 in some circumstances.
Its approval could ease Ukraine’s concerns that funding may be threatened after Republicans take charge of the House next month.
Bakhmut a ‘meat grinder’ as fighting rages on: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford has said the fight for Bakhmut, a strategic city in the Donetsk region, is being compared with the long and bloody battle for the French city of Verdun in WWI, and is now being described as a “meat grinder”.
“There are still surprisingly quite a few civilians in that town, refusing to leave, because they have nowhere else to go,” Stratford said, reporting from Kyiv.
Bakhmut is a gateway to other cities in Donetsk. In the greater Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Russian forces hold almost all of Luhansk but only approximately 60 percent of Donetsk.
What impact will further western arms in Ukraine have?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has a brought war on European territory on a scale not seen since World War II. Death and destruction has been extensive but Russia has faced stiff resistance and Ukrainian forces have retaken some territory.
Western arms and training have played a key role in the conflict, forcing Russia to reassess its tactics. Moscow is now switching to long-range weapons and drones. Some critics of Western strategy say pouring more arms into the war simply means more death and delays the need to talk peace.
Here is a look at whether further military aid for Ukraine is the way forward.
Zelenskyy successful in keeping war top of US agenda: Analyst
The main task of the Ukrainian presidency is to ensure that the continuing Russian invasion is kept “front and centre of the American agenda”, journalist and author Owen Matthews has told Al Jazeera.
Putin is banking on the US and the West losing interest in Ukraine due to fatigue and growing political opposition.
“The best strategy the Russians can pursue is to hope that Ukraine’s Western allies will eventually give up,” Matthews, who focuses on Russian affairs, said. “It’s vital for Zelenskyy to keep that support and he triumphed.”
The US press on Wednesday compared Zelenskyy’s visit with that of the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941, when his country was in the throes of combat during World War II.
Russia has shown no interest in ‘meaningful’ diplomacy: Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia has shown no real interest in ending the war in Ukraine, despite Putin’s call for negotiations.
“Fundamentally right now, Russia has shown no interest in meaningful diplomacy” to end the war, Blinken told a news conference.
In his end-of-year address, Blinken stressed that “a tough winter lies ahead” as Putin “pursues his strategy of freezing to death” the Ukrainian people.
“We are with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said.
Zelenskyy back in Ukraine after Washington trip: Spokesman
President Zelenskyy has returned to Ukraine after visiting the US on his first international trip since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February, his spokesman told AFP.
Sergii Nykyforov, a presidential press secretary, confirmed that the Ukrainian leader had crossed the country’s borders after a brief stop in Poland to meet with ally President Andrzej Duda.
UK says N Korea to pay ‘high price’ for supporting Russia’s Wagner
The UK has condemned North Korea after the US said the nation had supplied arms to the Russian mercenary group Wagner to bolster Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
“The fact that President Putin is turning to North Korea for help is a sign of Russia’s desperation and isolation,” the UK’s foreign minister, James Cleverly, said in a statement.
“We will work with our partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”
Russia explores buying stranded jets from Western leasing firms
Russian airlines have held exploratory talks with at least one big Western leasing firm about using state funds to buy some of the more than 400 aircraft stranded in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, Reuters has reported.
The proposal, which would need European Union approval, could lower a multibillion-dollar bill facing lessors and insurers and allow Russian airlines to secure formal ownership of planes at a potentially steep discount.
A Russian aviation source told the news agency the proposal was still being discussed but that some Russian officials were pessimistic about it getting EU approval.
Russia was a big market for aircraft lessors before its invasion of Ukraine. It bought jets from Boeing and Airbus and leased them to Russian airlines that wanted to avoid the up-front cost and inflexibility of buying planes themselves.
Germany arrests intelligence employee on Russian spying suspicion
Federal prosecutors in Germany say they have arrested an employee of the foreign intelligence service on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Little information was released on the case. Bruno Kahl, the head of the intelligence agency, said discretion is key because any detail of the investigation made public could give the “opponent an advantage in its intent to harm Germany”.
“With Russia, we are dealing with an actor where we must reckon with its ruthlessness and willingness to be violent,” Kahl said.
Putin: Russia wants to end the war with diplomacy
President Vladimir Putin says Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine and all armed conflicts with diplomatic negotiations.
“Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but on the contrary, to end this war,” he told reporters. “We are striving for this and will continue to strive.”
“We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course.”
US imposes sanctions on 10 Russian naval entities
The US state department said it is imposing sanctions on 10 Russian naval entities over Russian operations against Ukrainian ports.
“In the wake of Russian naval operations against Ukrainian ports, including those that are providing much-needed food and grain to the world, the United States today is imposing sanctions on Russian naval entities,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
Since October, Moscow has been shelling Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with large missile and drone attacks.
Wagner Group received arms delivery from N Korea: US
Russia’s Wagner Group took delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea to help bolster Russian forces in Ukraine, a senior US administration official said.
“We can confirm that North Korea has completed an initial arms delivery to Wagner, which paid for the equipment. Last month, North Korea delivered infantry rockets and missiles into Russia for use by Wagner,” the official told Reuters anonymously.
According to the US, the amount of material delivered by North Korea would not change battlefield dynamics in Ukraine, “but we are concerned that North Korea is planning to deliver more military equipment to Wagner”, the official said.
The official added that Putin has increasingly turned to the Wagner Group, owned by his ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, for help in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy discuses ‘bilateral relations’ with Poland
Zelenskyy discussed bilateral relations and strategic cooperation between Kyiv and Warsaw with the Polish president.
“On the way home [from the US], I had a meeting with a friend of Ukraine – President of Poland Andrzej Duda. We summed up the year, which brought historic challenges due to a full-scale war.
“Also we discussed strategic plans for the future, bilateral relations and interactions at the international level in 2023,” Zelenskyy said in a message on Telegram.
Zelenskyy thanked Duda for his country’s “unwavering and powerful support” for Ukraine but no information was given on where the two presidents met.
US extends export restrictions for two Russian airlines
The US Department of Commerce says it is extending a Russian export restriction by six months on two Russian airlines that continued to fly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The export denial extensions are for Pobeda Airlines and S7 Airlines, also known as Siberian Airlines.
The department previously added aeroplanes the two airlines operate to a list of aircraft believed to violate US export controls as part of the Biden administration’s sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The department has imposed severe restrictions on Russian airlines, warning companies worldwide that any refuelling, maintenance, repair, or spare parts or services violate US export controls and subject companies to severe US enforcement actions.
Ukraine front line ‘stable’ with forces focused on Donetsk: Russia
Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov says the front line in Ukraine was stable and that Russia had concentrated its forces on “completing the liberation” of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
At an end-of-year message delivered to foreign military attaches, Russia’s top military officer said, “The situation on the front line has stabilised, with the main efforts of the Russian troops concentrated on completing the liberation of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic.”
Russian forces control almost all of the Luhansk region but only about 60 percent of the Donetsk region.
G7 members to spend more to help Ukraine
The Group of Seven (G7) nations are prepared to do more to support Ukraine financially, their finance ministers say in a joint statement in which they encouraged other donors to also step up.
The G7 has already mobilised up to $32bn in economic support for Ukraine, including 18 billion euros ($19.09bn) from the European Union, the statement said
Russia: Greece should not send Russian-made weapons to Kyiv
Russia warns Greece against supplying Ukraine with Russian-made S-300 air defence missile systems, urging Athens to drop “provocative” plans.
Speaking at a news briefing in Moscow, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the transfer of the S-300 systems would be “a gross violation” of the intergovernmental agreements on military-technical cooperation and supply of military products.
“The violation of contractual obligations will inevitably have consequences, not to mention the weakening of Greece’s defence capability in the field of air defence”, she warned.
Zakharova added that Athens also demonstrates “complete indifference” to international restrictions that prohibit arms export, which could violate international humanitarian law.
“Before it’s too late – it’s like advice – you can abandon dangerous plans. Once again, we warn the Greek leadership about responsibility”, she said.
IAEA chief meets with Russian military and Rosatom
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog met with officials in Moscow from Russia’s military and state atomic energy company as he continued talks about setting up a safety zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Russian company Rosatom described the talks on measures needed to safeguard Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station and the surrounding region as “substantive, useful and frank”.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi tweeted: “Another round of necessary discussions on the creation of a protection zone for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. It’s key that the zone focuses solely on preventing a nuclear accident. I am continuing my efforts towards this goal with a sense of utmost urgency.”
Another round of necessary discussions on the creation of a protection zone for the #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. It’s key that the zone focuses solely on preventing a nuclear accident. I am continuing my efforts towards this goal with a sense of utmost urgency. pic.twitter.com/TUzzhZhtDW
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) December 22, 2022
Fire breaks out on Russian aircraft
Russian state media reports a fire broke out on board Russia’s sole aircraft carrier.
Admiral Kuznetsov, a flagship of the Russian Navy, suffered a “minor” fire while undergoing repair work at a shipyard in the Arctic port of Murmansk, according to reports by the Tass and RIA Novosti news agencies.
Both cited Aleksey Rakhmanov, the head of the state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) overseeing a significant refit of the carrier, saying that the blaze was quickly extinguished and caused no casualties.
Delays and accidents have marred Admiral Kuznetsov’s overhaul, which began in 2017 and was initially set to conclude last year.
Zelenskyy’s first foreign visit since the war
In case you missed it, here’s everything you need to know about Zelenskyy’s visit to the US Congress on Wednesday.
Bulgaria signs nuclear fuel deal with Westinghouse Electric
Bulgaria’s state-owned nuclear power plant Kozloduy signs a deal with Westinghouse Electric Sweden to supply it with nuclear fuel for Unit 5, the first step to diversifying away from Russian supplies.
The EU member currently relies on Russian nuclear fuel for both units at the 2,000 megawatt Kozloduy plant but is seeking to boost energy security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The plant produces about 35 percent of the country’s electricity and currently uses nuclear fuel supplied by the Russian firm Rosatom.
“We have finally made a step towards diversifying the nuclear fuel for our plant. This way we are ensuring our energy security,” said Kozloduy CEO Georgi Kirkov.
Who controls what?
Here are four maps we update daily, charting the latest war developments.