During his New Year's Eve message, Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a possible treaty was ninety percent prepared. "This deal is 90% complete, 10% is left," he said. "And that is far more than simply numbers."
The president stressed that Ukraine desires an end to the war but not at "any possible price". "What does Ukraine desires? An end to hostilities? Yes. At any cost? Certainly not," he declared. "We want an end to the conflict but not the destruction of our country."
"Is the nation tired? Very. Does this mean we are ready to give up? Anyone who thinks so is deeply wrong," he continued.
He voiced skepticism about Russian intentions, stating that even if troops pulled out from the eastern Donbas, the conflict would not end. "Withdraw from the Donbas, and everything will end. That is how a lie sounds," he commented.
Separately, France's President Emmanuel Macron stated that EU allies and partners meeting in Paris on 6 January will make firm pledges towards ensuring the security of Ukraine after any agreement with Russia is reached.
Meanwhile, accounts of military strikes continued. A source from Ukraine's SBU reported that Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles struck a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Rybinsk, sparking a large blaze.
In Ukraine, a Russian-launched drone attack struck apartment buildings and energy infrastructure in Odesa, wounding six people, among them minors. Local authorities confirmed four apartment buildings were damaged and significant harm was reported to two power facilities.
Concerning recent allegations of a UAV attack aimed at a property of Russian president, US and European authorities agree that Ukraine did not target the incident. An article stated that American national security officials determined the alleged attack "did not happen".
Reacting, Russia's ministry of defense released a footage claiming to show debris of a downed Ukrainian drone. An official from Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs dismissed the footage as "laughable" and stated it showed a lack of credibility in creating the narrative.
The EU's top diplomat described Russia's claims "an intentional distraction". "Nobody should believe baseless allegations from the aggressor," she said.
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