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Morning Headlines
Kyiv Post: A swirl of speculation around a purported US–Russia peace blueprint that would hand Moscow full control of the eastern Donbas and force Ukraine to cut its military in half jolted Washington and European capitals on Wednesday.
AP News: Several high-ranking Army officials, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, are in Ukraine to help with peace talks, U.S. officials said Wednesday, as Trump administration efforts to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine have stalled.
Bloomberg: The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been involved in recruiting men from South Africa and Botswana for service with Russian forces in its war against Ukraine (archive).
Reuters: Ukraine said it had identified a Russian commander as a suspect in some of the killings in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha in 2022, calling it a vital step towards establishing the chain of command behind the mass executions of civilians there.
The Kyiv Independent: An oil refinery was reportedly hit in Ryazan Oblast overnight on Nov. 20, local residents claimed.
ISW: An Iranian Defense Ministry-affiliated delegation covertly traveled to Russia in November 2024, possibly to seek “laser technology and expertise that could help [Iran] validate a nuclear weapon design without conducting a nuclear explosive test,” according to a former CIA analyst speaking to the Financial Times.
More News
Reuters: Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has told associates he plans to leave the administration in January, a departure that would mean the loss of a key advocate for Ukraine in the Trump administration.
Reuters: The U.S. has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons.
Axios: The new Trump plan to end the war in Ukraine would grant Russia parts of eastern Ukraine it does not currently control, in exchange for a U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression.
Reuters: Slovakia is considering suing the EU over its plans to stop the delivery of Russian gas supplies from 2028 as a result of its war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Wednesday.
Reuters: The United States, Australia and Britain announced coordinated sanctions on Wednesday against Russia-based web company Media Land, accusing it of supporting ransomware operations.
The Kyiv Independent: Russian forces in Pokrovsk are operating like sabotage and reconnaissance groups and complicating Ukraine's defense efforts by dressing as civilians, the commander of the 68th Jaeger Brigade, codenamed "Liutyi," told Suspilne on Nov. 19.
Reuters: Airbus chairman Rene Obermann has called on European countries to acquire tactical nuclear weapons in response to the threat posed by Russian Iskander missiles deployed at Kaliningrad that can carry nuclear warheads.
Reuters: British defence minister John Healey said on Wednesday that "military options" are ready should the Russian spy ship Yantar become a threat after it directed lasers at British pilots sent to monitor it.
AP News: Ukraine has asked the Vatican to formalize its role facilitating negotiations over the return of Ukrainian children and civilians taken by Russia during the nearly four-year war, a Kyiv government official said Wednesday.
Reuters: The Kremlin on Wednesday played down an Axios report that the United States was working on a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine and said there were no new developments to announce since an August summit between Putin and Trump.
Reuters: Poland said on Wednesday it would close the last Russian consulate in its territory and deploy thousands of soldiers to protect infrastructure in response to a railway explosion it blames on Moscow.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia carried out a mass overnight attack on multiple Ukrainian regions on Nov. 19, leaving at least 26 civilians dead and 141 injured, and causing widespread infrastructure damage and triggering emergency power outages.
Reuters: Slovakia wants NATO to boost air defences in the country, on its eastern flank, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said after a meeting with the military alliance's chief.
Reuters: Finnish petrol station operator Teboil, owned by Russian oil major Lukoil, said on Wednesday it is preparing to shut down all its stations in the Nordic country as fuel runs out amid U.S. sanctions against its parent company. Teboil is the first Lukoil-owned international business to say it will close down as a result of the sanctions.
worth mentioning
Top Italian court approves handover of Ukrainian Nord Stream suspect to Germany
Russia strengthens operations in Baltic states – increasingly recruiting youth
Nordic countries paying most for Ukraine ‘not sustainable,’ Swedish foreign minister says
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