MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Ukraine intensifies attacks on Russia amid peace plan discussions, and the EU’s eastern flank leaders gather in Helsinki to discuss the Russian threat. Meanwhile, the United States ramps up operations off Venezuelan coasts. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russia amid an active negotiation process. Since the second half of November, the number of attacks has increased by almost one-third, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestia. In parallel, EU leaders issued a joint statement outlining security guarantees for Kiev. According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Washington will be able to provide those if Ukraine agrees to territorial concessions. Experts argue that Kiev is seeking to involve the United States in a direct confrontation with Russia.
On December 16, Vladimir Zelensky visited the Netherlands for talks with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and the Netherlands’ top diplomat and defense chief. During his visit, he also took part in a conference in The Hague to launch an International Claims Commission for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s desperate attempts to demonstrate military successes to its sponsors come against the backdrop of more active talks: on December 14 and 15, Berlin hosted consultations on a peace plan between Washington and Kiev. Among other topics, the Berlin meetings discussed security guarantees for Ukraine that envisage maintaining the size of Ukraine’s army at 800,000 troops, providing a response mechanism for any breaches of a ceasefire, and deploying a European-led multinational force as part of the coalition of the willing.
