December 23, 2023
The Ukrainian military says that it has shot down three Russian SU-34 jets in the southern reion of Kherson. DW has the latest.
https://p.dw.com/p/4aWHk
SU-34 is a Russian medium-range fighter-bomberImage: Friedemann Kohler/dpa/picture alliance Skip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to knowUkrainian officials said that the country’s air defenses had shot down three Russian jets in the south of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, sees no change in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
“Putin has just reaffirmed his war aims, he is not at all willing to negotiate,” Lambsdorff said,
There is no indication that Putin will change his stance after the presidential elections in March 2024, he added.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Saturday, December 23.
Skip next section Ukraine says it downed three Russian fighter-bomber jetsDecember 23, 2023
Ukraine says it downed three Russian fighter-bomber jetsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and military officials said the country’s forces shot
down three Russian SU-34 fighter-bomber aircraft on Friday on the southern front, hailing it as a success in the 22-month-old war.
The Russian military made no mention of the incident. But Russian bloggers acknowledged the loss, and analysts suggested US-supplied Patriot missiles had probably been used.
The reports could not be independently verified.
“Today at noon in the southern sector: minus three Russian SU-34 fighter-bombers!” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat described it on national television as a “brilliantly planned operation.”
Zelenskyy in his nightly video address praised the Odesa region anti-aircraft unit for downing the planes in Kherson region.
https://p.dw.com/p/4aWHvSkip next section German ambassador says Putin is ‘not at all willing to negotiate’December 23, 2023
German ambassador says Putin is ‘not at all willing to negotiate’Vladimir Putin has just reaffirmed his war aims in Ukraine during his annual press conferenceImage: Alexander Zemlianichenko/REUTERSThe German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, sees no change in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
“Putin has just reaffirmed his war aims, he is not at all willing to negotiate,” Lambsdorff told the German media outlet Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
There is no indication that Putin will change his stance after the presidential elections in March 2024, he added.
According to the diplomat, there are also no signs that Putin could be replaced. Putin’s re-election is to be expected, Lambsdorff said. He does not see any cracks in Putin’s regime at the moment.
Nor could the German ambassador see “any indication” that the Russian leader’s health “might not be good.”
Putin confirms run for reelectionTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4aWHlSkip next section Poland hopes truckers dispute can be solved by year-endDecember 23, 2023
Poland hopes truckers dispute can be solved by year-endPoland’s deputy infrastructure minister said that he hoped Polish truckers’ protests on the border with Ukraine could be solved before the end of the year.
Polish drivers have been blocking several crossings with Ukraine since November 6, demanding that the European Union reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc and the same for European truckers to enter Ukraine.
“We had a long meeting with my (Ukrainian) counterpart … today we are agreeing on the last details that will lead to the final agreement,” Polish Deputy Infrastructure Minister Pawel Gancarz said during a press conference in Kyiv.
“We hope that for Christmas, before the end of this year, this problem will be solved,” he added.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development said in a statement that the Kyiv meeting produced an “agreement on common positions to unblock the border.”
It said the next stage in carrying out a “plan of action” would involve talks between the Polish ministry and the protesting truckers.
dh/sri (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
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