Russia Ukraine battle reside: Putin admits heavy losses as EU to open membership talks with Kyiv

The Air Pressure mentioned on the Telegram messaging app that Russian forces used three Kinzhals launched from three fighter jets in russia’s central Tula area, and that its anti-aircraft missile unit shot down one of many missiles within the Kyiv area.

“In fact, we don’t touch upon the results of hits/non-hits by enemy missiles within the Khmelnytskyi area,” it added.

Native authorities mentioned earlier that emergency providers had been working on the two crash websites, however no accidents or harm had been recorded.

In a single day, russia launched 42 drones and 6 missiles at Ukraine, with 11 individuals injured and buildings and warehouses broken by falling particles. The Ukrainian navy mentioned it destroyed 41 drones.

Ukraine‘s Air Pressure mentioned Russian MiG-31K fighter jets carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles struck targets in central Ukraine simply 10 minutes after their takeoff from Savasleyka airbase sparked a nationwide alert on Thursday.

The Air Pressure mentioned it shot down one Kinzhal missile over Kyiv area, whereas one other two hit Starokostiantyniv district, location of an air base in Khmelnytskyi area west of Kyiv that has been repeatedly attacked in the course of the 21-month-old battle.

Kyiv regional governor Ruslan Kravchenko mentioned no casualties had been reported, nor harm to important and civilian infrastructure, after explosions had been heard by a Reuters correspondent close to the capital.

Turkey utilized for membership in 1987, obtained candidate standing in 1999, and needed to wait till 2005 to start out talks for precise entry.

Solely one in all greater than 30 negotiating “chapters” has been accomplished within the years since, and the entire course of is at a standstill on account of numerous disputes.

A number of international locations within the Balkans in the meantime have turn out to be discouraged by the bloc’s failure to reside as much as its lofty membership guarantees.

North Macedonia submitted its entry bid in 2004. Even after subsequently altering its title to settle a longstanding dispute with EU member Greece, the nation continues to be ready for membership talks to start as a result of Bulgaria, one other member, threw up a hurdle associated to ethnicity and language.

Bosnia stays stricken by ethnic divisions that make reform an nearly unimaginable problem. The fee mentioned final month that it ought to solely begin membership talks after extra progress is made. It expressed concern in regards to the justice system and different rights failures within the Bosnian Serb a part of the nation.

Serbia and Kosovo refuse to normalize their relations, and stand final within the EU’s line.

EU officers had mentioned talks couldn’t formally start till Ukraine addresses a number of points together with corruption, lobbying issues, and restrictions which may forestall nationwide minorities from finding out and studying in their very own language.

Whereas EU officers say Ukraine has made progress on these points in current months, it nonetheless has an extended approach to go.

Each EU nation has steadily agreed to assist Ukraine‘s bid — besides Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin’s best ally inside the EU. Orban maintains that Ukraine isn’t able to even begin speaking about EU membership.

In a shock transfer, Orban stepped apart Thursday and abstained from the vote to permit Ukraine‘s membership talks to start. It’s only a starting, and lots of steps stay.

Debt crises, waves of migration and Brexit had all contributed to the bloc’s skittishness towards increasing its ranks lately. So, too, did the expansion of Euro-skeptic political forces in lots of member international locations.

However the urgency created by russia’s invasion and Ukraine‘s request for expedited consideration upended the EU’s go-slow method to including new members, and reversed years of ‘’enlargement fatigue.”

Thursday’s resolution additionally has an influence on different would-be members, who really feel the EU is displaying favoritism.

Ukraine is one in all a number of international locations which have lengthy wished to hitch the EU, seeing it as a path to wealth and stability. Whereas the EU shouldn’t be a navy alliance like NATO, membership within the bloc is seen by some as a rampart towards Russian affect.

Ukraine formally utilized for EU accession lower than every week after russia invaded in February 2022. The capital Kyiv confronted the specter of seize, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s authorities confronted the specter of collapse.

The beginning of membership talks lower than two years later is just one step in an extended journey. However it sends a powerful sign of solidarity with Ukraine simply as U.S. assist for Ukraine‘s navy is faltering and a Ukrainian counteroffensive is stalled — and as Putin seems more and more emboldened.

Ukraine acquired a inexperienced mild Thursday to start out sped-up talks on becoming a member of the European Union.

That’s an enormous enhance for war-ravaged Ukraine and a loud message to Vladimir Putin – but it surely may very well be years and even a long time earlier than the nation truly turns into a member of the EU.

Right here’s a have a look at what Thursday’s resolution means, and why becoming a member of the EU is very essential, and particularly arduous, for Ukraine.

EU HISTORY AND HOW DO YOU JOIN? The European Union was born after World Battle II as a buying and selling bloc with a daring ambition: to stop one other battle between Germany and France. The six founding members had been Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Since then, the EU has steadily expanded to include 27 democratic nations, many from the previous communist bloc in Japanese Europe, impressed by the concept that financial and political integration amongst nations is one of the simplest ways to advertise prosperity and peace.

This notably led to the creation of the shared euro forex in 1999, the continent’s open borders, and trailblazing guidelines to cut back carbon emissions and regulate tech giants.

To affix the EU, candidate international locations should undergo a prolonged course of to align their legal guidelines and requirements with these of the EU, and present that their establishments and economies meet democratic norms. Launching accession talks requires approval by consensus from the 27 EU nations.

The U.S. Senate will vote on navy assist for Ukraine and Israel subsequent week as negotiations proceed over adjustments to U.S. border safety coverage that may be tied to the funding, Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer mentioned on Thursday.

The Senate will delay its vacation break, which had been attributable to begin Friday, and convene Monday to offer negotiators time to achieve an settlement, Schumer mentioned.

“A lot hangs on our success,” Schumer mentioned. “We all know the world is watching.”

Democratic President Joe Biden has been urging lawmakers to move a supplemental assist package deal to supply $50 billion in new safety to Ukraine because it fights russia, in addition to $14 billion for Israel because it wages battle towards Hamas in Gaza.

Republican Home of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, in addition to Republicans within the Democratic-majority Senate, have repeatedly mentioned they are going to solely vote for that assist whether it is paired with new controls for the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ukraine‘s air drive shot down a hypersonic Kinzhal missile over Kyiv on Thursday, a spokesman mentioned.

Responding to a query about an explosion heard in Kyiv, Air Pressure spokesman Yuriy Ihnat mentioned: “Anti-aircraft missile protection methods had been at work.

“One missile was shot down.”

Throughout the 4 hours of a marathon end-of-year press convention, Vladimir Putin provided a well-known mixture of threats and jibes towards Western nations as he tried to color a rosy image of Russian life.

Nonetheless, he was confronted by criticism from odd Russians when textual content messages had been beamed in entrance of him in an obvious gaffe.

Having cancelled the standard annual occasion final yr, this was the primary held because the Russian president launched his battle nearly two years in the past.

Mr Putin mentioned “there’ll solely be peace in Ukraine after we obtain our goals” – basically forcing Kyiv into submission. It’s a risk that russia has repeated whereas Ukraine’s forces have put up a stout defence of their territory.

With Mr Putin having not too long ago introduced he’s working for the presidency once more in March 2024, he needed to be seen to be backing his battle machine, though even he let slip that any Russian features in Ukraine had been “modest”; Kremlin-speak for the truth that there was little motion on the frontlines in current months.

The closely stage-managed information convention was watched by thousands and thousands throughout russia. Extraordinary residents submitted questions alongside these from journalists, and Russian media mentioned a minimum of 2 million had been despatched prematurely, with some being proven on a display on the venue, even when they weren’t answered by Mr Putin. That led to some awkward messages for the president.

Ukraine badly wants assist from its Western allies in its practically two-year combat towards russia’s invasion. Its counter-offensive has did not make main features and the Biden administration has to date been unable to get a $60 billion assist package deal for Ukraine by the U.S. Congress.

European Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen mentioned it was “a strategic resolution and a day that may stay engraved within the historical past of our Union.”

Orban had very totally different phrases to explain the choice.

“Hungary’s stance is obvious, Ukraine shouldn’t be ready for us to start out talks on EU membership,” he mentioned, calling the choice to start out talks “irrational” and “inappropriate.”

“However 26 member states had been adamant that this resolution should be made so Hungary determined that if 26 determine so, they need to go on their very own path and Hungary doesn’t want to take part on this dangerous resolution,” he mentioned.