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By Neha Tresa George
WAR ON GROUND
On 08 December, The Washington Post reported on the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump in the Elysee Palace against the backdrop of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. Zelenskyy said that the meeting was “good and productive.” He also said that the leaders planned to work together and maintain contact. He said: “We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace.” The meeting also portrayed French President Emmanuel Macron as Europe’s leading Trump influencer. Trump called to end the war in Ukraine quickly. Citing the US military packages to Ukraine, he criticised the government for spending too much on Ukraine.
On 07 December, The Kyiv Independent reported on the delivery of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark to Ukraine to strengthen its air defence capacities. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced it through his social media post. He said: “Denmark’s decisive leadership in defending lives stands out. With this additional reinforcement, our air shield is stronger than ever.” Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had earlier visited Ukraine and suggested that Danish industries could visit Ukraine and learn from their experience.
On 07 December, Euronews reported on the Russian attack in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Kryvyi Rih city. According to Zaporizhzhia’s Governor Ivan Federov, at least nine were killed and 20 more injured in the attack. Federov informed that the Russian attack aimed at a service station resulted in significant damage to nearby homes, businesses and vehicles. He condemned Russia for carrying out this attack, which targeted civilians. Further, he added that Russian forces’ target on the Kryvyi Rih city in the southern region of Dnipropetrovsk resulted in the death of two and injury of more than a dozen. A three-storey building, along with residential buildings and cars, were damaged in the attack.
THE MOSCOW VIEW
Claims by Russia
On 07 December, RT reported on the statements made by Belarus Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Sergey Lagodyuk on deploying Russian Oreshnik hypersonic missiles. According to him, Russia’s decision to deploy the missiles in Belarus came as a response to the US’s plans to install medium-range missiles in Germany. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko recently signed a security treaty that proposed using all their forces and means with them. Following the meeting, Putin decided to install the Oreshnik missiles in Belarus by the second half of 2025 after determining how soon they would enter regular service with Russia’s strategic forces. This was in response to the decision by NATO in July to deploy the multipurpose Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile, and a hypersonic missile.
On 08 December, RT reported on the statements of the Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov on Donald Trump’s estimated loss of Russian troops. In a social media post, Trump said that Moscow had lost around 600,000 servicemen and Ukraine around 400,000 troops along with civilians in the conflict. Peskov claimed this estimate was presented in the Ukrainian interpretation and the numbers were completely different. He added that Ukrainian losses were much higher than the Russian losses. He further said that if the war is prolonged with Western aid, it would lead to the “complete exhaustion of the Ukrainian army.”
THE WEST VIEW
Responses from the US and the Europe
On 07 December, the US Department of Defence announced a military package of nearly USD one billion as security assistance to Ukraine. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III stated that the aim was to help Ukraine strengthen its combat power in response to Russia’s attacks. The package includes unmanned aerial systems, rocket munitions and support for maintenance and repair programs. Austin announced it during the Reagan National Defence Forum in California. He made it clear that the US always stood in support of Ukraine. He also highlighted the importance of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group and their efforts to defend against Russian attacks. Citing security assistance from allies, he said: “…Together, we have helped Ukraine survive an all-out assault by the largest military in Europe.” Austin added that Russia saw around 700,000 casualties, with more than USD 200 billion spent since 2022.
On 06 December, Kyiv Post reported on the statements of the EU’s new defence chief, Andrius Kubilius, on defence against Russia. According to his estimates from the European intelligence agencies, the EU or NATO could expect Russia’s aggression before 2030. He said: “We need to move from what some people call incremental improvement of our defence capabilities to some kind of big bang approach.” He referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as a “wakeup call” to the EU to defend themselves. However, the EU is still behind Russia in terms of arms output. So, he said that the EU needed to invest at least EUR 500 billion in defence over the next decade. He also proposed using NATO’s long-term capability targets to identify the required finances from the member states. He highlighted that the EU should strengthen its activities not against the upcoming US President Donald Trump but against Putin. He also clarified that the EU needed to rely on the US for long-range missiles to endure a long-term war.
On 07 December, Le Monde reported on the joint strategy Germany and the US developed for Ukraine. According to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he was confident that he and Trump could develop a “joint strategy” for Ukraine. He said: “I have already spoken extensively on the phone with the future US president, and we are also in direct contact with those responsible for security policy.” Although Trump has promised a change in the US policy towards Ukraine, he has not revealed his plans or details. He is set to meet Zelenskyy at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. Germany, the second largest supporter of Ukraine, had pledged to continue its support. While answering questions from the members of the Bundestag, he emphasised the importance of supporting Ukraine. Scholz highlighted Germany’s military assistance to Ukraine as worth EUR 28 billion.
References
DOD Announces $988 Million Ukraine Security Assistance Package,” US Department of Defence, 07 December 2024
“Zelensky meets with Trump in Paris as he tries to build support for Ukraine,” The Washington Post¸ 08 December 2024
“Denmark delivers second batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Zelensky announces,” The Kyiv Independent, 07 December 2024
“At least 11 killed as Russia strikes Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih,” Euronews, 07 December 2024
“EU Defense Chief Calls for ‘Big Bang’ Spending to Counter Russian Threat and Strengthen Europe’s Military,” Kyiv Post, 06 December 2024
“Germany's Scholz sees 'joint' Ukraine strategy with Trump,” Le Monde, 07 December 2024
“Oreshnik missile deal a response to US move – Belarus military chief,” RT, 07 December 2024
“No decisions without Ukraine’s involvement,” The Federal Chancellor, 04 December 2024
“Trump’s estimate of Russian losses wrong – Kremlin,” RT, 08 December 2024
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