President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in Russia's Kursk region. Ukraine's president warns that North Korea may send more personnel and equipment to Moscow's military, accusing world leaders of doing “almost nothing” to counter Russia's military cooperation with North Korea criticized the person. “There is a risk that North Korea will send additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army,” President Zelenskiy said on Monday. South Korea's military also said on Monday that it had detected signs that North Korea was preparing to send more troops and weapons to Russia, including suicide drones.
President Zelensky's estimate of North Korean losses is significantly higher than that of senior South Korean military officials.announced on Monday that at least 1,100 North Korean soldiers were killed or injured. This assessment was in line with last week's briefing by South Korean intelligence, which reported about 100 people killed and another 1,000 injured in the area. North Korea has about 12,000 troops in Russia, according to estimates from Ukraine and its allies.
President Zelenskiy accused Slovak Prime Minister Roberto Fico of wanting to “support” President Vladimir Putin by continuing to import Russian gas. Zelenskiy said EU leaders had observed that Fico, who visited Moscow on Sunday, opposed reducing energy dependence on Russia, and that “Putin is trying to raise money for war and weaken Europe.” He has hinted that he wants to help raise money for the “We believe that such support for President Putin is immoral,” he added. Slovakia is heavily dependent on Russian gas and has expressed concern about the potential loss of supplies when a contract to transport gas through Ukraine expires on December 31.
Russia said on Monday that the situation with European countries that buy gas through transit agreements through Ukraine is very complicated. The day after the meeting between President Putin and Mr. Fico warrants further attention. Ukraine has said it will not renew a five-year contract to supply Russian gas by pipeline to Europe, which expires at the end of the year, because it does not want to support Russia's military efforts. The spill accounts for about half of Russia's total pipeline gas exports to Europe, and if it were to stop, Slovakia, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic would be the most affected. Fico said Putin confirmed Russia's intention to continue supplying gas to Slovakia, but said this would be “practically impossible” if the Ukraine transit agreement expired.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said several countries have already offered to host talks between the two countries. President Putin and US President-elect Donald TrumpHowever, neither one was explicitly stated. President Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine quickly, but has not yet announced how he plans to do so. President Putin said on Thursday that he was willing to compromise on Ukraine issues during talks with President Trump and that there were no conditions for starting talks with Ukrainian authorities.
Ushakov said he believes North Korean soldiers are likely to take part in military exercises next year. red square parade It was held in Moscow to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Zelenskiy agreed on the “importance of improving” Britain's training proposals for the Ukrainian military to “further strengthen Ukraine's capabilities on the battlefield”. According to a reading of the phone call between the two leaders, President Zelensky “reflected on the situation on the front lines in Ukraine and the need to ensure that Ukraine could weaken the Russian military in the long term.”
President Zelensky said Kiev would support allied efforts necessary to stabilize Syria and had already taken decisions to support food security. “We believe that removing the Russian presence from Syria is critical to the security of the Syrian people and the entire region.”
italian cabinet It passed a decree allowing it to continue supplying “means, materials and equipment” to Ukraine until the end of 2025. The move was to support the war effort against Russia, a government statement said. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has supported Kiev since taking office at the end of 2022 and has vowed to support Ukraine until the end of the war, amid uncertainty about the future of the United States after Trump takes office next month.
