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Morning Headlines
Reuters: European Union leaders will decide on Thursday how to finance Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 to keep it fighting Russia's invasion, with the use of Russian assets frozen in the EU the preferred option, but hinging on Belgium's uncertain approval.
AP News: Russia wants to drain Europe's investigative resources with its sabotage campaign, officials say. The head of one large European intelligence service said investigations into Russian interference now swallow up as much of the agency’s time as terrorism.
The Kyiv Independent: Kyiv has signed several new defense agreements with Berlin totaling 1.2 billion euros, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Dec. 17, a day after the Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
ISW: Robust security guarantees for Ukraine are essential to ensure that any future agreement produces a sustainable peace, but the Kremlin has been publicly rejecting the idea of such guarantees.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil tanker in the Port of Rostov overnight on Dec. 18, local officials in Russia's Rostov Oblast reported.
More News
Politico: U.S. and Russian officials are expected to meet in Miami this weekend as part of the Trump admin’s push to bring an end to the war.
CNN: Putin gave a clear indication Wednesday that he will not compromise on his demands for Ukraine to cede territory despite Trump’s intensifying push for peace.
The Insider: Sweden’s navy has confirmed that armed guards have appeared aboard tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
Politico: French intelligence services are investigating a suspected foreign operation after high-tech spyware was seized aboard a ferry in Sète, southern France.
Turkish Minute: Turkey is seeking to return S-400 air defense systems it bought from Russia nearly a decade ago, a move that would end a controversial deal that roiled its relationship with the US and other NATO members.
The Guardian: Belgian politicians and senior finance executives have been subject to a campaign of intimidation orchestrated by Russian intelligence aimed at persuading the country to block the use of €185bn assets for Ukraine, according to European intelligence agencies.
Reuters: The U.S. extended on Wednesday a waiver allowing oil sales from Russia's Sakhalin-2 project through June 18 next year, a move that likely allows production of liquefied natural gas from the project to continue.
The Insider: While German intelligence services arrest one Russian-hired spy after another for photographing trains and ships, Kadyrov’s loyalists enjoy legal access to Germany’s most vulnerable objects of critical infrastructure.
Politico: Less than 24 hours before EU leaders descend on Brussels for vital talks on financing Ukraine’s war effort, Belgium believes negotiations are going in reverse.
Reuters: Ukraine controls nearly 90% of the strategic northeastern town of Kupiansk, its military chief said on Wednesday, but Russia's defence minister said a Ukrainian counter-attack on the town had been unsuccessful.
The Guardian: The UK has given its final warning to Roman Abramovich to release £2.5bn from the oligarch’s sale of Chelsea FC to give to Ukraine, telling the billionaire to release the funds within 90 days or face court action.
United24 Media: Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has agreed to acquire a 90% stake in US missile manufacturer Zone 5 Technologies, a move that could speed up Ukraine’s access to the company’s Rusty Dagger cruise missile under the Extended Range Attack Munition program.
Reuters: The European Parliament on Wednesday approved the EU's plan to phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027, clearing the penultimate legal hurdle before the ban becomes law.
MEPs are calling for the removal of internal borders for the movement of troops and military equipment across the EU, and for upgrades to railways, roads, tunnels and bridges.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia attacked the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia with KAB guided aerial bombs the on Dec. 17, injuring at least 32 people, including a child, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. The attack reportedly occurred around noon, hitting two multistory residential buildings, infrastructure and educational facilities, Fedorov said.
Reuters: The United States is preparing a further round of sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector to increase pressure on Moscow should it reject a peace deal with Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. A White House official told Reuters that Trump had made no new decisions regarding Russian sanctions.
The Insider: Kenyan authorities have secured the return of 18 citizens who were recruited inside Russia to take part in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Nairobi-based outlet The Standard reported. In total, at least 82 Kenyans have appealed to the country’s embassy in Moscow for help returning home.
Reuters: Ratings agency Fitch placed Euroclear Bank on "rating watch negative" on Tuesday, citing the potential for increased legal and liquidity risks from the European Union's plans to use immobilised Russian assets for a reparations loan to Ukraine.
worth mentioning
Sweeping US defense bill passes, with Ukraine, Venezuela provisions defying Trump
Poland to start producing anti-personnel mines to lay along eastern border
German budget committee clears 50 billion euros in defence contracts
Swedish explosives start-up gets permit for TNT factory
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