This week, fighting continued to rage all along the front lines with the most intense battles being fought in the directions of Kurakhove and Pokrovsk, in the country’s east. Russian forces are trying to establish positions on the river islands in southern Kherson region. They have assembled 300 boats and train to conduct assault river crossing operations. Russia uses civilians as “target practice” for killer drones, a Financial Times report from Kherson reveals.
It was a busy diplomatic week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv Monday for a surprise visit during which he announced that Ukraine will get another IRIS-T system, the sixth one so far, and more Patriot launchers this month. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said Wednesday that the U.S. is determined to use all of the money remaining from the USD 61 billion Ukraine aid package before the end of Biden’s term. Support for Ukraine was high on the agenda at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
Ukraine will not accept any security guarantees other than full NATO membership, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Ukraine will not settle for Yalta-2 or Minsk-3 peace deals, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiha said later in the week. In a phone call with NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, on Thursday, President Zelenskyi reiterated the importance of extending an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO.
Ukrainian delegation led by head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, meets with leaders of new administration in U.S. Yermak confirmed in a social media post on Thursday that he had traveled to Washington, New York and Florida for two days of “meetings with key members” of Trump’s team. He met with Vice President-elect JD Vance and members of President-elect Donald Trump’s national security team, according to media reports that cite unnamed sources. An aide to retired Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, whom Trump has named as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, also attended the meeting. Yermak also met with Susan Wiles, the incoming White House Chief of Staff.
Reuters said on Wednesday that the Ukrainian delegation met in Washington with Trump’s choice for White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and his Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, without providing details.