Key developments on Dec. 28 – 29: Ukraine prioritizing security guarantees over immediate NATO membership, senior diplomat says Russia must admit guilt over downing Azerbaijani airliner, pay compensation, Azerbaijan's president says Ukraine secures over $156 million for defense industry from European allies, defense minister says Russia rejects Trump team's reported peace deal proposals on Ukraine, […]

Ukraine’s accession to NATO remains on the agenda but is not a top priority for diplomatic efforts, Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s newly-appointed envoy to the U.N., told Berliner Morgenpost on Dec. 27. Ukrainian officials have consistently presented NATO membership as the only way toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, though acknowledging that the entry […]