Uncertainties about the outcome of the war. During a major press conference on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky warned that “no one” can predict the end date of the war against Russia. “I don’t think anyone knows the answer,” not even “our commanders or our Western partners,” he said. However, the Ukrainian president is sure: the USA “will not betray Ukraine” and Washington’s promises will be “respected”.
A massive mobilization. Another important point in the Ukrainian leader's speech was that he proposed mobilizing “450,000-500,000 people” to continue the fight against the Russian invasion, adding that he needed “more arguments in support of this idea”, because he is a “very important personality”. “When we talk about mobilization, we must understand that for every soldier there are six civilians who finance him,” he stressed. But “how can we find three million additional taxpayers from January?” he asked again.
Mass production of drones. At the same time, Ukraine wants to produce “one million drones” for its army in 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday, as these devices play a crucial role in the war against Russia. According to Ukrainian officials, the Ukrainian armed forces need 100,000 to 120,000 drones of various types every month to compete against the Russian army.
Not a new American envelope. US Senate leaders noted on Tuesday that Congress would end the year without approving the $61 billion requested by Kiev and the White House. After several weeks of negotiations, Republican and Democratic negotiators failed to reach an agreement.
New Russian attacks. Several Russian drones attacked Kiev on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, at least two attacks targeted the city of Kharkiv in western Ukraine and nine people were injured in bombings in Kherson in southern Ukraine, authorities said. “In the bombing of Kherson this evening by the Russian occupiers, nine people were injured, including four children” between the ages of two and thirteen, said the city's mayor, Roman Mrochko. Among the injured, “a mother and her three children were hospitalized. Her condition is moderate. They have bruises and blast injuries,” he added, indicating that the five other injured people were treated at the scene.