Ukraine war latest: Scholz visits Kyiv for first time since June 2022, pledges $680 million in military support

December 2, 2024

By Ukraine

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Key developments on Dec. 2:

Scholz arrives in Kyiv first time since June 2022, pledges $680 million in military support
'We need to move faster,' Zelensky announces personnel changes in Ukrainian Armed Forces
Russia trained 300,000 reserve soldiers for war in Ukraine, Russian defense official claims
Some North Korean troops fighting on Russia's side killed, Zelensky says
Ukraine's military lacks strength to retake some occupied territories, diplomacy needed, Zelensky says

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv on Dec. 2 to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and reaffirm his country's support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

"I would like to make it clear here on the ground that Germany will remain Ukraine's strongest supporter in Europe," Scholz said upon his arrival, promising additional arms supplies worth 650 million euros ($680 million) in December, N-TV reported.

This marks Scholz's first visit to Ukraine's capital in two and a half years. The chancellor's arrival comes shortly after his controversial phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which drew criticism from Kyiv.

Scholz previously visited Kyiv in June 2022 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and then-Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, marking the first visit by the three European leaders since the outbreak of the full-scale war.

Under Scholz's leadership, Germany has become Ukraine's second-largest military donor after the U.S. The chancellor was nevertheless often criticized for cautious approach on some key issues, such as his refusal to provide Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Recently, Scholz criticized Friedrich Merz, the CDU/CSU party leader who will seek to unseat the chancellor in the February snap elections, for the latter's willingness to provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

"All I can say is: be careful! You don't play Russian roulette with Germany's security," Scholz said at his party conference in Berlin.

Merz, whose party is currently leading in the polls, previously proposed issuing an ultimatum to Putin to end his aggression. Should the Russian leader refuse, Kyiv's partners would lift all restrictions on already provided weapons, and only then would Berlin approve the delivery of Taurus missiles.

`'We need to move faster,' Zelensky announces personnel changes in Ukrainian Armed Forces`

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 2 new reshuffles in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Zelensky's statement follows General Mykhailo Drapatyi's appointment as Ukraine's Ground Forces commander.

When asked why Drapatyi has replaced Oleksandr Pavliuk, who has held the position since Feb. 11, 2024, Zelensky said the change is related to the recently presented resilience plan.

Zelenksy's resilience plan, unveiled on Nov. 19, contains several reform proposals, including those in the defense sector.

According to Zelensky, the decisions outlined in the plan are designed for "particular individuals," so changes in the Ukrainian forces will continue.

"This is not the last (personnel) reshuffle. There will be more because we need to move faster," Zelensky said during a press conference in Kyiv.

Russian losses at the front increased significantly in the fall, while Russia continued to advance in the Donetsk sector, aiming to capture the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.

In November, 45,720 Russian soldiers were wounded, killed, or captured and thus unable to continue participating in combat operations. This number is equivalent to more than three motorized rifle divisions of the Russian army, according to the Defense Ministry.

Despite that, Russian forces have taken over 600 square kilometers (232 square miles) in November alone, which is more than in the entire October, setting a new record since early 2022, Russian news outlet Agentstvo wrote on Nov. 25.

`Russia trained 300,000 reserve soldiers for war in Ukraine, Russian defense official claims`

Russia has trained 300,000 contract soldiers as reserves for the currently fighting regiments, a Russian official said in an article for the propaganda outlet Krasnaya Zvezda on Dec. 2.

"Seven companies of instructors and eight training companies for specialists… have trained over 300,000 service members," said Ivan Buvaltsev, the head of the training department of Russia's Armed Forces.

The claim comes as Russia's advance in Ukraine's east is picking up pace despite allegedly suffering record losses.

Buvaltsev did not specify when the 300,000 reservists were supposedly trained, but the article's context suggests he refers to the year 2024.

Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu set up nine reserve battalions to train and prepare contract soldiers to offset Russia's casualties in Ukraine at the end of 2023.

According to Shoigu, 335,000 people signed up voluntarily to fight in 2023. In 2024, this number was 200,000, according to former President Dmitry Medvedev.

Russia reportedly suffered record losses in military equipment and personnel in the war against Ukraine in November. Moscow's losses steadily grew since the beginning of the fall as Russia continued to advance in the Donetsk sector, aiming to capture the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.

Only in November, 45,720 Russian soldiers were wounded, killed, or captured and thus unable to continue participating in operations, Kyiv said. This number is equivalent to more than three motorized rifle divisions of the Russian army.

November also saw the record for enemy personnel losses in one day broken: 2,030, the highest figure since Feb. 24, 2022, according to Ukraine's military. As of Dec. 2, Russia lost 743,920 troops, 9,478 tanks, and 19,397 armored fighting vehicles, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said.

The figures could not be independently verified.

`Some North Korean troops fighting on Russia's side killed, Zelensky says`

Some of the North Korean soldiers deployed to fight for Russia have already been killed, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Kyodo News on Dec. 1 without revealing their numbers.

Pyongyang is said to have dispatched between 10,000-12,000 troops to aid Moscow's war, with the first clashes with Ukrainian forces reported in Russia's western Kursk Oblast.

Speaking to the Japanese news agency, Zelensky said that Russia is treating the first batch of North Korean soldiers well to attract tens of thousands more.

Ukraine's head of state predicted that Pyongyang's forces would eventually be used as "cannon fodder" to decrease losses among the Russian military. He also warned of negative security impacts for Asia as Russia is teaching North Korean troops the methods of modern warfare, including drone use.

Separately, a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson told the media that 2,000 North Korean troops have been assigned to Russia's marine and airborne units fighting on the front.

"If they (North Korean troops) have joined units engaged in active hostilities, then we can confidently say that they have joined the fight," spokesperson Andrii Cherniak told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, adding that this might not necessarily mean deployment on front-line positions.

"Maybe they are not in advanced positions, but they enable aggression against Ukraine, ensure the killing of Ukrainian service members."

North Korea is Russia's leading ally in its war against Ukraine, reportedly providing Moscow with over 100 ballistic missiles and 5 million artillery shells. In exchange, Pyongyang is believed to receive economic support and assistance for its nuclear weapons program.

`Ukraine's military lacks strength to retake some occupied territories, diplomacy needed, Zelensky says`

Ukraine might have to liberate some Russian-held territories through diplomatic means after the country's NATO membership becomes certain, Zelensky said in an interview with Kyodo News on Dec. 1.

"Our army lacks the strength to do that. That is true," Zelensky told the Japanese news agency regarding the liberation of territories held by Russia since 2014, including Crimea.

"We do have to find diplomatic solutions," he said, adding that liberation by force could be considered when Ukraine is strong enough to prevent new aggression by Russia.

The statement aligns with a recent rhetoric shift in Kyiv as Moscow's forces keep advancing in the east, and the future of Western support is uncertain under Donald Trump's upcoming presidency.

Zelensky had long been adamant about Ukraine's full territorial integrity as a key cornerstone of any peace deal. His more recent comments show a willingness to defer the status of occupied territories in exchange for entry into NATO while not recognizing Russian occupation as legitimate.

"We understand that Article 5, when you're a member of NATO, cannot apply to the entire territory of Ukraine during wartime, as countries are against the risks of being drawn into the war," Zelensky told Sky News last week.

The comments came as Ukraine has been urging NATO allies to invite Ukraine to join the alliance as early as next week during the NATO Foreign Ministerial Meeting on Dec. 3-4.

Speaking to Kyodo News, Zelensky said that the war has entered a "complicated period" and that the current level of international support is not sufficient. He reiterated his calls on NATO to launch talks with Kyiv as soon as possible.

Ukraine's head of state also commented on Trump's imminent return to the White House, saying that the president-elect's team is studying Ukraine's five-step victory plan.

"But there will be no capitulation from the side of Ukraine," Zelensky added.

Trump's presidency has sparked fears that Washington would pull the plug on Ukraine as the president-elect has criticized military aid for Kyiv. He has also pledged to bring both sides to the negotiating table, with some reports suggesting this plan could entail freezing the war along the current front lines and postponing Ukraine's NATO aspirations.