December 22, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the word “war” on Thursday while talking to reporters about the fighting in Ukraine. 

The former KGB officer, who chooses his words carefully, has often referred to the war in Ukraine as a “special military operation.”

“Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,” Putin told reporters in Moscow after attending a State Council meeting on youth policy.

“We have been and will continue to strive for this,” he continued.

After attending the meeting, Putin took questions from reporters on various topics, including the fighting in Ukraine, the US shipment of a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine and the Russian economy.

The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Thursday claims by the United States that his group took weapons deliveries from North Korea are “nothing more than gossip and speculation.”

“Everyone knows that it’s been a long time since North Korea has supplied weapons to the Russian Federation,” Prigozhin said in a statement published on his Telegram channel. “And no other such attempts have even been made. Therefore, these arms deliveries from the DPRK are nothing more than gossip and speculation.”

“On our behalf, I want to stress that - and I’ve already answered this question today - we buy quite a lot of American weapons. And that is why my lawyers will more than likely take an active part in the process to lift the U.S. sanctions on the supply of weapons to the Wagner PMC,” he said. 

“We believe these restrictions are completely unfair, due to the fact that Wagner PMC has never violated international trade rules when buying the US weapons,” Prigozhin said. 

“Unfortunately, Mr. Kirby makes a lot of statements based on speculation,” Prigozhin said in response to remarks by the strategic communications coordinator at the US National Security Council John Kirby.

Earlier Thursday Kirby said that “it’s pretty apparent to us that Wagner is emerging as a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian Ministries” and that it is recruiting convicts, including some with serious medical conditions. 

Russian citizens are crowdfunding to equip soldiers deployed to Ukraine as winter closes in on the battlefield.

Troops have complained they are short of basic equipment – and the message has reached Russian President Vladimir Putin. He and other officials say they are working to overcome issues with supplying newly mobilized troops, partially blaming supply chain issues.

But the Kremlin has also stepped up pressure on those who dare to complain – and is increasingly framing the invasion of Ukraine as a patriotic and almost existential cause.

Local campaigns are raising funds for soldiers in both Russia and the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine.

One, dubbed “Together is Warmer,” has raised 3 million rubles (about $45,000) to provide basic equipment and clothing for Russian soldiers.

A Telegram channel detailed last month how citizens helped supply the DPR’s 6th Motorized Rifles, a company of 74 men.

The channel listed what the citizens bought: Uniforms, thermal underwear, socks, hats, balaclavas, sweaters, berets, a generator, power banks, medicines, clothes, boots and even two wheelchairs, which the company took to the hospital.

In the Chuvashia region, where the mobilization prompted protests in the fall, Telegram channels said that families had gone into debt buying equipment.

“From officials there, all they got was parting words and three sacks of potatoes,” one said.

Many of the public crowdfunding appeals focus on preventing hypothermia among soldiers fighting without adequate clothing and shelter in sub-zero temperatures. In the central Russian city of Tambov, for example, 8th grade schoolchildren raised money for socks for the troops.

But some also try to source thermal imagery devices, two-way radios, body armor or even drones.

Maxim Samorukov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in Foreign Policy magazine last week: “Ordinary Russians are expected to help their friends and relatives who have had the misfortune of being drafted. Indeed, they have little option but to cover the deficiencies in state provisions out of their own pockets simply to protect their loved ones.”

Read more on the Russian supply issues — and Moscow’s official response — here.

In his address on Capitol Hill Wednesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thrust the frontline city of Bakhmut onto the world stage, describing the situation there in moving terms.

In a roughly 25-minute speech, six minutes were dedicated to the situation in and around the city. Members of Congress stood and applauded four times as Zelensky recounted Bakhmut’s fate.

Here’s why the city has become a rallying point for Ukrainian fortitude:

Months of fierce fighting: Bakhmut rests in the gentle rolling hillocks of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. It lies on the road to the much bigger and more strategically important cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

During the past 10 months of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the city has risen to infamy. It’s regularly referred to as the most contested and kinetic area of the conflict. Zelensky’s advisers and generals have called the battles for Bakhmut “fierce,” “hot” and “difficult.”

The fire and brimstone unleashed by the Russian advance has left it in ruins, a smoking shell of its former self. This fate has burnished Bakhmut’s power as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. In the face of devastating Russian attacks, it is still holding on.

On the ground in Bakhmut: Various CNN teams have visited the city in recent months. They witnessed the devastation and dereliction. They saw firsthand the impact it was having on the Ukrainian soldiers there, and the shellshock affecting the hardy residents who remained.

Despite all that, Ukraine has held off Moscow’s troops from overtaking the city, allowing Kyiv to fortify important surrounding cities and lessening the blow if Russia ever does prevail there.

In the meantime, Bakhmut has become more than just a city fighting for survival – it is now the beating heart and one of the most powerful emblems of the country’s resistance.

Read Shukla’s full report here.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he discussed Kyiv’s peace proposal with his Group of Seven colleagues this morning after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington. 

“I can just tell you that we’re looking at what he’s put forward. I was just on the — the video with our G7 partners this morning. And this is one of the things that we talked about,” Blinken told CNN’s Kylie Atwood. 

Blinken called Zelensky’s peace proposals “a good start.”

“They’re things that everyone should be able to, in one way or another, to rally to,” he said.

Blinken would not say how long it would take for the US and Ukraine to evaluate the plan together. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the two sides agreed to reviewing the plan yesterday in the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Zelensky.

What borders would Ukraine accept in a peace deal? Blinken said the US and Ukraine agreed on the overall peace effort underway. He did not respond more directly to a question of whether Kyiv would accept a goal of reclaiming territory up to its borders before the Feb. 24 invasion. Blinken has previously said that’s the US focus, while Zelensky has outlined broader visions for retaking the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.

“What’s clear from all of our conversations with Ukraine, including the conversations just yesterday between President Biden and President Zelensky, is that we have the same objectives, the same goals: a free and independent, a prosperous, a democratic Ukraine, one that demonstrates that the principles of the United Nations charter are being upheld, including on territorial integrity and sovereignty and independence, and that’s something the president reiterated yesterday,” Blinken said.

Blinken said Ukraine has told the US that it is currently focused on taking back its eastern and southern territory that has been occupied since February.

“But that doesn’t prejudge in any way where this goes, where it settles,” said Blinken at his year-end news conference, emphasizing that it would be up to Ukraine to decide what a “just and durable” peace looks like.

Blinken also reiterated that Russia has shown “no meaningful interest” in diplomacy to end the war.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his administration has always been open to talks and that “it was the Ukrainian leadership that refused itself to conduct negotiations.”

US President Joe Biden’s administration rolled out new sanctions on 10 Russian naval entities after Russian operations against Ukrainian ports, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday.

Here are more of the latest developments:

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s amendment related to seized Russian oligarch’s assets and transferring them to the people of Ukraine passed by voice vote.

It’s the fourth amendment to be approved Thursday to the US government funding bill.

“This amendment would allow the Department of Justice through the Secretary of State to transfer proceeds from seized oligarch’s assets or other sanctioned entities to the people of Ukraine,” Graham said. “It will be a god send to the long suffering people of the Ukraine. It will be a relief to the American taxpayer… It will be a bad day for oligarchs.”

The US has trained approximately 3,100 Ukrainian troops to date on different systems, with training on the newly announced Patriot missile systems set to begin “very soon,” a senior defense official said.

Nearly half of those troops have been trained on M777 howitzers or HIMARS rocket launchers, two of the systems that have been critical to Ukrainian operations so far. Ukrainian forces have also been trained on vehicles, various forms of artillery, drones and other systems. 

The Pentagon will soon begin training Ukrainian personnel on how to operate and maintain the Patriot missile system, officially announced yesterday during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington.

Though the Pentagon would not specify exactly when the training would begin or how long it would take for Ukrainians to master the complex system, a senior defense official said Wednesday it would start “very soon” and would take “several months.”

The Patriot system costs between $450 and $550 million, the Pentagon said, depending on the configuration of the platform. Each missile costs approximately $4 million.

The US will also soon start an expanded training program for Ukrainian forces, including joint maneuver and combined arms training. This program will train approximately 500 soldiers per month on larger combat operations.

Newly downgraded US intelligence suggests the Russian mercenary group Wagner has assumed expanded influence and is recruiting convicts — including some with serious medical conditions — from prisons to supplement Moscow’s flagging military.

The group recently took delivery of arms from North Korea, a top US official said, a sign of its growing role in the war in Ukraine.

And the US believes Wagner could be locked in a power battle with the Russian military itself as it jockeys for influence with the Kremlin.

“In certain instances, Russian military officials are actually subordinate to Wagner’s command,” said John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator at the National Security Council. “It’s pretty apparent to us that Wagner is emerging as a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries.”

The revelations about the Wagner Group came a day after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky’s historic visit to Washington, where he thanked the United States for its military assistance and said more was needed to fend off Russian advances.

Some background: Wagner has emerged as a key player in the 10-month conflict. The group is often described as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s off-the-books troops. It has expanded its footprint globally since its creation in 2014, and has been accused of war crimes in Africa, Syria and Ukraine.

Kirby said the US estimates Wager currently has about 50,000 personnel deployed inside Ukraine, of which 40,00 could be convicts recruited from Russian prisons. He said the group was spending $100 million per month to fund its operations in Ukraine. 

The group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has even traveled personally to Russian prisons to recruit convicts himself to go to the front lines and fight. Some of them suffer from “serious medical conditions,” Kirby said.

“It seems as though Mr. Prigozhin is willing to just throw Russian bodies into the meat grinder, in Bakhmut. In fact, about 1,000 Wagner fighters have been killed in the fighting in just recent weeks, and we believe that 90% of those 1,000 fighters were in fact convicts,” Kirby said.

Prigozhin, who has sometimes been referred to as “Putin’s chef,” already has close ties to the Russian president. But Kirby suggested he was working to strengthen those ties through his efforts to bolster Russian forces through his mercenary recruitment.

“It’s all about how good he looks to Mr. Putin, and how well he’s regarded at the Kremlin,” he said. “In fact, we would go so far as to say that his influence is expanding.”

Last month, Wagner received a delivery of infantry rockets and missiles from North Korea, Kirby said, an indication of how Russia and its military partners continue to seek ways around Western sanctions and export controls.

Wagner, not the Russian government, paid for the equipment. The US doesn’t believe it will significantly change the battlefield dynamic in Ukraine — but suggested North Korea could be planning to deliver further material.

US President Joe Biden’s administration rolled out new sanctions on 10 Russian naval entities after Russian operations against Ukrainian ports, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Thursday.

“We are committed to imposing additional severe consequences on President Putin and his enablers for Russia’s unconscionable war against Ukraine. In the wake of Russian naval operations against Ukrainian ports, including those that are providing much-needed food and grain to the world, the United States today is imposing sanctions on Russian naval entities,” Blinken said. 

The entities sanctioned include companies that produce different aspects of Russia’s naval capability. One of the sanctioned companies is a battery company, Rigel, that has been a supplier to the Russian navy for more than 15 years, the US State Department said. Also sanctioned was a central institute for scientific research, Elektropribor, which produces a navigation system for Russian combat ships. 

“The United States remains determined to use all appropriate measures to deter Russia’s attacks on Ukraine – whether those attacks be from the air, land, or sea. These accountability measures underscore a simple message: the Kremlin must end its brutal campaign against Ukraine,” Blinken said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his first video message since leaving Washington, DC, on Wednesday that he is returning to his country with “good results.” 

In a selfie-style message on Telegram, the Ukrainian president said, “I am coming back from Washington. Coming with good results, that will really help.”

He also thanked US President Joe Biden for his “assistance and for international leadership and for his commitment to victory.”

“I thank the US Congress, to both Houses, to all Parties who support Ukraine, to all those who wish us Victory as much as we wish it,” he added.

Zelensky said that “we are bringing to Ukraine, to Donbas, to Bakhmut and to the South, solutions that our Defence Forces have been waiting for.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Patriot missile defense systems are “old” systems and Russia will “always find the antidote.” 

“In regards to Patriots, this is quite an old system and it doesn’t work as well as our S-300,” Putin said, when asked by a reporter to comment on the United States’ decision to provide a Patriot system to Ukraine. 

“Those who oppose us think this is a defensive weapon, that’s what they say,” Putin said. “But that’s in their own mind and we’ll always find the antidote.” 

“So those doing it are just wasting their time, it’s just delaying the conflict,” Putin said. 

Some background: The Patriot’s radar system combines “surveillance, tracking, and engagement functions in one unit,” a description from the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) says, which makes it stand out among other air defense systems. The system’s engagements with incoming aerial threats are “nearly autonomous” aside from needing a “final launch decision” from the humans operating it.

The Group of Seven nations “are prepared to do more as needed on budget and economic support” for Ukraine in the year ahead, according to a joint statement from the group’s finance ministers Thursday.

For 2023, the group has mobilized “up to $32 billion US dollars of budget and economic support for Ukraine and continue to make further progress,” said the statement published by the German government.

“We also strongly encourage other donors to step up their support,” the finance ministers added.

In 2022, the G7 mobilized $32.7 billion US dollars of budget support to the Ukrainian government, some $18 billion dollars of which came from the European Union, according to the G7.

Remember: The G7, or Group of Seven, is made up of allied leaders from some of the world’s largest economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Polish President Andrzej Duda while returning to Ukraine from the US. 

Zelensky posted a photo of him on Telegram meeting with Duda and said, “We summed up the year, which brought historic challenges due to a full-scale war.”

“Also we discussed strategic plans for the future, bilateral relations and interactions at the international level in 2023,” he added.

From the video accompanying the post, Zelensky is seen disembarking from a plane at Rzeszow airport. It is unclear what time he arrived in Poland. 

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said he held a phone call with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington, DC, and the announcement that the US will provide the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.

Reznikov tweeted that “PATRIOTic soldiers will master these systems quickly,” capitalizing part of the word in reference to the defense system.

Reznikov said he was “grateful for another package of security assistance, especially for the new capabilities to defend out skies from Russia’s brutal attacks.”

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an additional $1.85 billion in security assistance for Ukraine.

Additionally, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said he thinks the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the Patriot missile defense system “will be accelerated.” 

He added that the training is taken “very seriously” by the Americans and that the training is “done strictly according to the rules.” 

Ihnat said on Ukrainian television that he hoped the one unit “should be just the beginning” and that the Patriot can help protect “important strategic objects” such as infrastructure and headquarters locations. 

Iran clapped back at Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and warned of limited “patience for baseless accusations.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the speech delivered by Zelensky from the United States Capitol repeated “accusations and indecent statements.” 

“We have always respected the territorial integrity of countries, including Ukraine, and Mr. Zelensky should know that Iran’s strategic patience for baseless accusations is limited,” a published statement by Kanaani said. 

“Mr. Zelensky should learn from the fate of some leaders of countries who relied on America’s support,” the statement said. 

In his speech to the US Congress, Zelensky said that hundreds of deadly drones sent by Iran to Russia have become a threat to “critical infrastructure.” 

Some background: The Iranian government acknowledged last month that it had sent a limited number of drones to Russia in the months before the start of its invasion of Ukraine, but has denied supplying military equipment for use in the war in Ukraine.

Russia, Zelensky argued in strong terms, has “found an ally” in Iran.

“That is how one terrorist has found the other,” Zelensky said. 

“It is just a matter of time when they will strike against your other allies if we do not stop them now.”

The fallout from Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky’s historic visit to Washington DC continues, with praise at home and warnings from Russian officials.

Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has moved to squash speculation that recent troop movements were part of preparations to join the war in Ukraine.

Here are the latest headlines:

The chief of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog is holding another round of necessary discussions with Russian officials on the potential creation of a protection zone surrounding Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, he said on Thursday.

“It’s key that the zone focuses solely on preventing a nuclear accident. I am continuing my efforts towards this goal with a sense of utmost urgency,” said International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. 

He posted an image on social media of him shaking hands with the CEO of Russian nuclear power company Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev.

The recent movement of Belarusian armed forces is not part of a plan to get involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday.

“We have been having and are having exercises. Now they are more extensive because of the current situation and threats. Therefore, we are conducting exercises on our territory,” said Lukashenko, according to a statement published on his official website.

“That’s it. No other intent, no conspiracy,” he added.

Earlier in December, Belarus announced snap military drills across the country and a Russian delegation led by Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Belarus to meet Lukashenko.

This sparked speculation that Putin might try to convince Lukashenko to help him in the war against Ukraine. Belarus shares a 674-mile border with Ukraine.

Belarusian territory was used as a platform by Russian troops during the invasion in February, but the country’s troops have so far not taken part in the conflict.

Recent troop movements were a response to increased tensions, said Lukashenko.

“We cannot rule out that aggression may be deployed against our country,” he said. “At least, we see such a readiness on the part of our neighbors.”

The White House believes President Zelensky made a “very compelling” case to the American public and to lawmakers about the need for sustained US aid to Ukraine, a senior White House official said.

As the White House prepares for Republicans — some of whom have cast doubt on the future of aid to Ukraine — to take over the House, the official said the White House believes Zelensky’s speech helped make the case.

“We think he made a compelling case to lawmakers and to the American people about the sacrifices that Ukraine has been and continues to make,” a senior White House official said. “We believe he made a very compelling case for the reason why support has been so critical in the past and how he believes that support.”

While the speech may help the White House in Ukraine funding fights to come, the official said Zelensky didn’t seek help from the White House for his remarks.

“This was all him,” the official said.

Zelensky, of course, went further than the White House in his appeals for more aid — making clear in a joking-not-joking tone at both the White House and to Congress that current aid levels are still not enough.

That was no surprise to the White House, which expected Zelensky was “going to ask for more.” The surprise would have been if he had not.

Just as he did in response to a question by CNN’s Phil Mattingly, Biden has made clear to officials following his meeting with Zelensky how beneficial it was for him to meet with the Ukrainian leader in person.

The senior official said Biden “really enjoyed his time with Zelensky” and found him to be “energetic” and dedicated.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington DC on Wednesday and made a historic speech from the US Capitol, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began — and asking for more.

CNN spoke to members of the public throughout Ukraine to gauge their reaction to Zelensky’s visit and the way he was received by US lawmakers.

Mariya Hrachova, marketing director, Kyiv

Hrachova told CNN that she is always moved by Zelensky’s speeches, and Wednesday was no different.

“When he spoke to the House of Representatives, the way he looked, he didn’t wear a suit, he was himself,” she said. “He spoke the truth, he said what he wanted, what he had to say, I admire that.”

His reception was “very touching,” said Hrachova, who underlined the effectiveness of the visit in “bringing back weapons and hundreds of millions of dollars in aid,” even if more will be needed in future.

“We understand that will need to increase,” said Hrachova. “I know that there are various views in the American establishment about the situation in Ukraine and US support for Ukraine, but we hope that the majority in the government and in the Congress will support us.”

Tetyana Vasylivna, fruit seller, Kyiv

Vasylivna, who is originally from Kherson, also hailed Zelensky’s visit to Washington.

“It seems to me that this visit will bring the end of the war closer,” she said. “I think this trip will help us to get victory.”

“I really had tears in my eyes when I see in such a good way he (Zelensky) was welcomed,” she said. “He is doing a great job as a president, really great, I have no other words to describe him.”

Oleksandr Kuzmenko, computer graphics, Kyiv

Kuzmenko also lent his support to Zelensky, saying that it was important that US lawmakers heard about the situation on the ground directly from the Ukrainian president, rather than from a third party.

“I’d say he put it across very well, both in terms of messaging and choreography,” he said. “It was a good way to emphasize all the points and ask for weapons.”

Kuzmenko said that he supports Zelensky’s key messages, and believes the Russian invasion has shown the shortcomings of existing world institutions.

“The current world security architecture is ineffective, and we are the reason it needs to be rebuilt, because of our sacrifice,” he said.

“If we let it pass, it won’t be us having to sort … out this mess, it will be for our children and grandchildren,” added Kuzmenko.

Оleksandr Solonko, Ukrainian serviceman, near Bakhmut

While Solonko didn’t manage to watch Zelensky’s speech in Washington, he believes that the visit is a positive.

“Such visits do not happen by chance. For us, this is an indicator of the commitment of the United States and that we will continue to be supported,” he said.

“We, the military, are doing our job and expect our government to make progress towards obtaining the necessary weapons and other means to help us drive the occupiers from our land.”

It is also part of “the symbolic war,” said Solonko.

“What will happen behind the scenes of the visit, apart from military cooperation and economic support, is also interesting,” he said. “There are probably many more issues that need to be discussed between the representatives of our countries.”

Neither US President Joe Biden nor his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky showed “a potential willingness to listen to Russia’s concerns” during Zelensky’s historic visit to the United States on Wednesday, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. 

“So far, we can state with regret the fact that neither Biden nor Zelensky has spoken any words that can be perceived as a potential willingness to listen to Russia’s concerns,” Peskov said Thursday.

At no point was Zelensky issued with a warning “against continuing the barbaric shelling of residential buildings in the settlements of Donbas,” said Peskov. Donbas blankets much of eastern Ukraine, and has been the front line of the country’s conflict with Moscow since 2014.

Peskov added that “there were no real calls for peace.” But during his address to the US Congress on Wednesday, Zelensky did stress that “we need peace,” reiterating the 10-point plan for peace devised by Ukraine.

He also called on US lawmakers to “strengthen sanctions” against Russia to make the country “feel how ruinous its aggression truly is.”

Peskov told journalists, however, that Wednesday’s meeting showed the US is continuing to wage a proxy war of “indirect fighting” against Russia down “to the last Ukrainian.”

The US supplying Ukraine with Patriot missile systems will prolong the Ukrainian people’s “suffering,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday.

“We see that, in fact, the United States and other countries are following the path of constantly expanding the range and raising the technical level of the weapons that they supply to Ukraine,” Peskov said during a conference call. “This does not contribute to a speedy settlement of the situation, on the contrary.”

Peskov went on to say this will not prevent Russia from achieving its goals in Ukraine.

“This leads to the fact that, unfortunately, the suffering of the Ukrainian people will continue longer than it could have,” he added.

On Tuesday, the US announced a new aid package to Ukraine, which included the “first-ever transfer to Ukraine of the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, capable of bringing down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and aircraft at a significantly higher ceiling than previously provided air defense systems.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that the Patriot air defense missile systems would be a “very important step” to creating secure airspace.

The West supplying Ukraine with military support and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington further demonstrates that “the collective West is set for a long confrontation with Russia,” said a spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry.

Maria Zakharova went on to talk about the “monstrous crimes” of the “regime in Kyiv,” adding that no matter how much the West helps arm the Ukrainian government, “they will achieve nothing.”

“As the leadership of our country has stated, the tasks set within the framework of the special military operation will be fulfilled, taking into account the situation on the ground and the actual realities,” Zakharova added, referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which it calls a special operation. 

Her comments came after Zelensky delivered a historic speech from the US Capitol, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began — and asking for more.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to congratulate him on the formation of a new government and to discuss the situations in Ukraine and Iran, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office. 

“The two leaders discussed a number of issues, chief among them the war in Ukraine,” the statement said.

“Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu told President Putin that he hopes a way will be found as soon as possible to end the war and the suffering caused by it.”

“Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu told President Putin that he is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to curb its attempts to establish a military base on our northern border,” Netanyahu’s office added.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu officially informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he had successfully formed a government.

Netanyahu, who had already served as prime minister for 15 years until being ousted last year, had until midnight local time (5 p.m. ET) Wednesday to form the government following elections on November 1.

In what was a last minute announcement, Netanyahu tweeted 10 minutes before the deadline expired: “I have managed.”

Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington showed that neither the United States nor the Ukrainian president are “ready for peace,” Russia’s ambassador to the US claimed Wednesday.  

His comments came after Zelensky delivered a historic speech from the US Capitol, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began — and asking for more.

The Biden administration’s “conciliatory statements about the lack of intention to start a confrontation with Russia are just empty words,” Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in a statement distributed by the Russian Embassy that decried what he described as Zelensky’s “Hollywood-style trip.”

Ambassador’s warning: Speaking alongside Zelensky earlier Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced the US will send Kyiv a Patriot missile defense system as part of an additional $1.8 billion assistance package to Ukraine.

Antonov said Biden’s announcement came despite Russia warning the US against providing the system to Ukraine. “I think everyone understands perfectly well what fate the personnel, manning these complexes on the territory of Ukraine, can face,” he said.

The Russian ambassador also warned that US involvement in Ukraine could lead to an intensification of the conflict. “The provocative actions by the US are steadily leading to an escalation, the consequences of which cannot even be imagined,” he said.

If ever a leader personified their nation, it is Volodymyr Zelensky.

Unbroken, defiant, a civilian forced to don green military garb, the Ukrainian president spent Wednesday in Washington, DC, on his daring first trip out of his country since Russia’s brutal, unprovoked invasion in February. He expressed heartfelt gratitude for America’s multi-billion dollar weapons and ammunition lifeline — but made clear he’d never stop asking for more.

Appearing with extraordinary symbolism at the White House with President Joe Biden and before a joint meeting of Congress, Zelensky also bore sobering news. A long, bloody battle for freedom, democracy, and ultimately, the survival of a nation Russian President Vladimir Putin says has no right to exist — a fight for which it’s still not clear the free world has the stomach — is nowhere near over.

The comic actor-turned-wartime hero effectively put the fate of millions of Ukrainians in the hands of American lawmakers, taxpayers and families at a time when there is growing skepticism among the incoming Republican House majority about the cost of US involvement.

At an emotional peak of his speech in the House chamber, Zelensky handed Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris a Ukrainian flag he retrieved from the hottest battle front at Bakhmut on Tuesday.

“Our heroes … asked me to bring this flag to you, to the US Congress, to members of the House of Representatives and senators whose decisions can save millions of people,” he said. “So, let these decisions be taken. Let this flag stay with you.”

Editor’s note: This post was adapted from the Dec. 22 edition of CNN’s Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. Read the full analysis here or click here to read past editions and subscribe.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress “extraordinary,” saying the country’s fight against Russian aggression has “proven that they are a really good investment for the United States.”

The speech “connected the struggle of Ukrainian people to our own revolution, to our own feelings that we want to be warm in our homes to celebrate Christmas and to get us to think about all the families in Ukraine that will be huddled in the cold and to know that they are on the front lines of freedom right now,” Clinton said on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” Wednesday.

She said Zelensky’s historic address “strengthened both Democrats and Republicans who understand what is at stake in this fight against Putin and Russian aggression and now with their ally, Iran, as well.”

“I also think no one is asking for a blank check,” Clinton added. “I believe that the Ukrainians have proven that they are a really good investment for the United States. They are not asking us to be there to fight their war. They’re fighting it themselves. They’re asking us and our allies for the means to not only defend themselves but to actually win.”

Read more here.

A former director of Russia’s space agency was wounded by Ukrainian shelling in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, according to state-run news agency TASS. 

Ex-Roscomos head Dmitry Rogozin, who now leads a team of Russian military volunteers in the Donbas region, was taken to hospital with a back wound after his hotel in Donetsk came under shelling, his aide told TASS.

The strike in the Russian-occupied city killed at least two people and injured several more, TASS reported.

“Evidently, it was a targeted strike,” Rogozin’s aide said, claiming the shelling came from a 155mm self-propelled artillery system. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a historic speech from the United States Capitol Wednesday night, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began — and asking for more.

“I hope my words of respect and gratitude resonate in each American heart,” Zelensky said during the joint meeting of Congress, later adding, “Against all odds, and doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn’t fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking.”

But alongside Zelensky’s gratitude was a plea, emphasizing that his armed forces are outnumbered and outgunned by the Russian military even as they fight on. At one point, Zelensky drew laughs from the chamber when he said, “We have artillery, yes. Thank you. We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really.”

On “the front line of tyranny,” Zelensky argued, American support “is crucial not just to stand in such fight but to get to the turning point to win on the battlefield.”

“The world is too interconnected and too interdependent to allow someone to stay aside and at the same time to feel safe when such a battle continues,” he added. “Our two nations are allies in this battle and next year will be a turning point, I know it — the point where Ukrainian courage and American resolve must guarantee the future of our common freedom, the freedom of people who stand for their values.”

“Your money is not charity,” he asserted. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

Read more here.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s historic visit to the United States went well and he is “pleased” with the outcome, a source close to the Ukrainian president told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Speaking to Congress Wednesday, Zelensky spoke of the strong ties between the US and his country, while giving a message of hope to Ukrainians at home.

He also called for continued financial support from US lawmakers, saying: “Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday spoke of the strong ties between the United States and his country, while giving a message of hope to Ukrainians at home.

Here are five key quotes from his historic speech at Capitol Hill:

Zelensky called for continued financial support from the US, telling Congress: “Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.” Zelensky urged lawmakers to strengthen sanctions against Russia and “let the terrorists be held responsible for aggression.” He noted that US President Joe Biden supported his 10-point peace plan, but added that each member of Congress can assist in the implementation. The Russians “use everything” against Ukrainian cities such as Bakhmut, but Ukraine “holds its lines and will never surrender,” Zelenksy said to roaring applause. “Last year, 70,000 people lived there in Bakhmut… Now only a few civilians stay. Every inch of that land is soaked in blood… Donbas changed hands several times in fierce combat, and even hand-fighting. But the Ukrainian Donbas stands,” he said. Zelensky said Ukrainians will celebrate Christmas this year, despite the atrocities of the war, telling Congress: “Even if there is no electricity the light of our faith in ourselves will not be put out.” Zelensky ended his speech by saying Ukraine will achieve “absolute victory,” reiterating his strong opening comments, which said: “Ukraine is alive and kicking.”

The US announced this week that it is providing a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine — but experts say that while it will be a valuable addition to the beleaguered country’s air defense, it’s not a cure-all.

Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, former commander of US Army Europe, told CNN that there is likely some unrealistic expectations about what a Patriot battery will be able to do for Ukraine.

It won’t, for example, be available to use immediately after the US agrees to provide it — it takes months to train troops on how to use the complex system, Hertling said, adding that training US troops to serve as maintainers or repairmen takes around a year. And it won’t be able to provide blanket cover for the entire country.

“These systems don’t pick up and move around the battlefield,” Hertling said. “You put them in place somewhere that defends your most strategic target, like a city, like Kyiv. If anyone thinks this is going to be a system that is spread across a 500-mile border between Ukraine and Russia, they just don’t know how the system operates.”

Some context: Ukraine has repeatedly asked for the US Army’s Patriot — an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar for intercept on Target — system, as it is considered one of the most capable long-range air defense systems on the market. And though the US did not fulfill the request for the first 10 months of the war, a senior administration official told CNN that the “reality of what is going on” on the ground in Ukraine influenced their decision to do so.

In recent weeks, the Russian military has increasingly attacked Ukraine’s power grid and infrastructure as winter approached and temperatures dropped.

Read more here.

On the last week before the Gregorian Christmas, the optics of Russia’s war in Ukraine have taken on a different dynamic and demonstrate that the battle is not only being fought on the frigid frontlines in Ukraine, but is also becoming something of a PR tit-for-tat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has harnessed the media to become an ever-present figure on screens across the world, beaming himself into parliaments, conferences and even music festivals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, a past master of propaganda, is driving his own agenda through his absolute control of Russian state media. Comparisons between the two show a chasm that may reflect the larger narrative of the war.

Last Friday, according to the Kremlin, Putin “spent all day working at the joint staff of military branches involved in the special military operation.”

But the only images that emerged were of Putin at the head of a table of generals, dressed in a navy suit and tie, listening to military chiefs who kowtow to his every whim. There was no mention of a location for this meeting, no readout, nor did the President make any public comments.

Zelensky, by contrast, broadcast his location to the world.

Read the full analysis here.