Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s forces launch deadly Kyiv ballistic missile and drone attack
Putin says he is open to talks with Donald Trump, saying ‘we will have things to discuss’
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Your support makes all the difference.Russia has launched dozens of missiles and drones against Ukraine as at least one person was killed in the capital of Kyiv in the attack.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had fired 60 drones overnight, though 20 were downed well before they reached their target, and five ballistic missiles at towns and cities across the country.
At least one person was killed after missiles hit Kyiv at around 7am local time this morning, while a high-rise building was badly damaged. The capital’s St Nicholas Church was also damaged.
Five people were also injured in a separate Russian missile strike that damaged a two-storey residence in Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih.
Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he should have invaded Ukraine earlier as he used an end-of-year press conference to double down on his decision to start the war.
Despite the toll his war has taken on Russia’s finances and the lives of its young men, Putin claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted his country’s military and economic power.
Vladimir Putin: Russia is ready to compromise with Trump on Ukraine war
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The huge spike in gun range openings in a country that borders Russia
Warning North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia ‘in months’
North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia ‘in months’
Warning North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia ‘in months’
Kim Jong Un vowed his country would ‘invariably support’ Russia’s war in Ukraine
US to announce final package of new arms for Ukraine in coming days, sources say
The Biden administration will announce in the coming days its final Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, using up the remaining funds set aside to buy new weapons for Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The package includes air defense interceptors and artillery munitions, according to a third source, but the exact contents are expected when the package is announced in the coming days. The package will be worth about $1.2 billion, said the sources.
Under USAI, military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners, rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield. The USAI package could be among the last steps the United States takes to provide direct military support to Ukraine as Kyiv braces for the return of President-elect Donald Trump, who has publicly questioned military aid and vowed to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office on 20 January.
Since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, the United States has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine, including approximately $61.4 billion in security assistance.
About half of that security assistance has come through the USAI program, and the rest has gone toward pulling from existing military stocks via presidential drawdown authority.
There is $5.6 billion remaining of presidential drawdown authority.
Russia and Ukraine exchange missile attacks, officials say, killing at least 1 person in Kyiv
Russia and Ukraine exchange missile attacks, officials say, killing at least 1 person in Kyiv
Ukrainian officials say Russia has launched several ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring nine others
In pictures: Life in Pokrovsk as Russians advance within miles of the city
Pictures have dropped showing the last remaining citizens of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.
Russian forces are just a few miles from the outskirts of the city having advanced steadily throughout the year.
The city had a prewar of population of around 60,000 but only a few thousands citizens remain.
Russia fires dozens of missiles and drones across Ukraine
Russia fired nearly 50 missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight, Kyiv’s air force has reported.
In an update on the Telegram messenger app, Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired five ballistic missiles and 40 drones, while an additional 20 drones were lost before they reached their target.
The five missiles were fired at Kyiv at roughly 7am local time, the air force added, killing at least one person and destroying the roof of a high rise building, as well as several other houses.
In pictures: Kyiv hit by Russian missile attack
Russia is ready to compromise with Trump on Ukraine war, says Putin
During boasts about Russia’s military achievements in his annual marathon televised news conference, Vladimir Putin says he is ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks on ending his war and has no conditions for starting discussions.
The Russian president told one reporter he was ready to meet Donald Trump, who he said he had not spoken to for years.
My colleague Alastair Jamieson reports:
Vladimir Putin: I am ready to talk to Trump over Ukraine
The Russian president told one reporter he was ready to meet Donald Trump, who he said he had not spoken to for years
Video: Putin repeats fake Boris Johnson quote in bizarre Ukrainian army claim
Turkey receives sanctions waiver for gas payments to Russia
Turkey has received an exemption for gas payments to Russia from sanctions imposed on Gazprombank by the United States, Turkish energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
In November, the US imposed new sanctions on Russia’s Gazprombank as president Joe Biden stepped up actions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before he leaves office in January.
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