Ukraine war latest: Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia

December 12, 2024

By Ukraine

0 Likes

Key developments on Dec. 12:

Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia
Drones attack Chechnya, hitting police building, Kadyrov claims
Poland 'dismisses speculation' on peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, PM says
US House passes 2025 defense spending bill without Ukraine lend-lease extension
Hungary did not discuss any Christmas truce, prisoner swap with Ukraine, Presidential Office says

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he "very vehemently" disagrees with Ukraine using U.S.-made missiles to strike targets "hundreds of miles" inside Russia, the Time magazine reported on Dec. 12.

Members of Trump's inner circle previously criticized the outgoing Biden administration's decision to ease restrictions on long-range strikes, though this is the first time the president-elect has spoken against it publicly himself.

"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?" Trump told Time as the magazine named him Person of the Year.

"We’re just escalating this war and making it worse."

The U.S. president-elect has criticized the level of support the Biden administration provided to Ukraine and signaled Kyiv should brace for reduced assistance once he takes office in January.

While he boasted many times during his campaign that he would end the war within 24 hours, Trump admitted to Time that Russia's invasion is even more complex than the situation in the Middle East.

"The numbers of dead young soldiers lying on fields all over the place are staggering. It’s crazy what’s taking place."

When asked whether he would cut support for Ukraine, Trump said he instead seeks to leverage the U.S. aid to push the Kremlin to the negotiating table.

"I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon."

Trump met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Dec. 7 to discuss the ongoing war and possible ways to end it. Reuters wrote that while the two did not discuss specifics of any concrete peace plan, Trump called for an immediate ceasefire while Zelensky stressed the need for security guarantees.

Following his meeting with Zelensky, Trump said the Ukrainian leader is ready "to make a deal and stop the madness" and that Putin should do the same after incurring staggering losses in Ukraine.

"Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse," Trump wrote on Social Truth on Dec. 8.

Zelensky addressed Trump's post on his Telegram channel on Dec. 8, saying the war "cannot be ended simply with a piece of paper and a few signatures," warning that "a ceasefire without guarantees can be reignited at any moment, as Putin has already done in the past."

The Ukrainian president has signaled openness to a diplomatic end to the war as the Russian advance picked up pace in the east while Ukraine's resources grow thin.

`Drones attack Chechnya, hitting police building, Kadyrov claims`

Drones attacked the barracks of a police regiment in Grozny, Chechnya, overnight on Dec. 12, according to local media and Chechen strong man Ramzan Kadyrov.

The attack damaged the roof of the building, shattered windows, and lightly injured four men on guard duty, Kadyrov claimed.

This marks the third reported drone strike against Chechnya during Russia's war against Ukraine. The previous attack occurred just one week prior, on Dec. 4, while the first was reported in late October of this year.

According to Kadyrov, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down over police barracks near 1 a.m. on Dec. 12.

"No one was seriously injured. Four guards received minor injuries," he alleged.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

The targeted police regiment building was named after Akhmat Kadyrov, the first Russian-backed head of Chechnya. The same building was reportedly struck a week earlier during a drone attack on Dec. 4.

Prior to that, the first reported drone attack struck Chechnya on Oct. 29.

After initially reporting no casualties, Kadyrov later alleged that Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) had been killed, boasting that they had been used as human shields.

Kadyrov blamed the drone attack on Ukraine, though Kyiv did not claim responsibility for the attack. A Ukrainian intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent the Oct. 29 strike likely came from the neighboring republics of Dagestan or Ingushetia.

`Poland 'dismisses speculation' on peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, PM says`

During a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 12, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed speculation about a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, emphasizing that no such actions are currently planned.

“Decisions on Polish actions will be made in Warsaw and only in Warsaw. We are not currently planning such actions,” Tusk stated, aiming to "end speculation" on the topic.

Macron, in turn, stressed that Ukraine should determine its course of action, saying, “Strong security in Ukraine means strong security in Europe,” while highlighting the importance of providing Kyiv with security guarantees.

Tusk, whose country takes over the EU Council's presidency in January, said peace talks could begin as early as this winter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded on Dec. 9 to Macron's suggestion of deploying foreign peacekeepers, saying Ukraine "may consider" the proposal but only after securing a clear timeline for NATO membership.

Recent reports suggest that the U.K. and France are considering deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has also not ruled out the possibility.

The concept of European troops overseeing a peaceful post-war Ukraine has reportedly been included in a peace plan developed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s team.

Ukraine's leadership continues to prioritize NATO integration as its primary security objective.

`US House passes 2025 defense spending bill without Ukraine lend-lease extension`

The $895 billion U.S. defense bill passed by the House of Representatives did not include a provision to extend the lend-lease act for Ukraine despite the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said on Dec. 12.

The U.S. passed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act in May 2022, but it expired in September 2023 without ever being used. Ukrainian diplomats have been lobbying for its reintroduction as it allows the U.S. president to loan or lease arms to Ukraine while cutting through congressional red tape.

"The Embassy continues to actively work to preserve this mechanism," Markarova said. In April, a bipartisan group of senators proposed to reintroduce the lend-lease act through the fiscal year 2026.

The future of U.S. support for Ukraine hangs in the air as President-elect Donald Trump has already hinted that Kyiv should expect reduced assistance after he takes office in January. These concerns prompted the outgoing Biden administration to speed up the arms delivery and use up the remaining $4-5 billion left in the presidential drawdown authority.

The House's defense bill, which the Senate will vote on next week, also did not include funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in 2025, as those were already provided in the previous spending bill in the amount of $300 million, Markarova said.

The USAI is a Pentagon-led program for supplying arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.

The bill did include a ban on the use of funds for any actions that could lead to recognition of Russian occupation in Ukraine and a request for an inter-departmental report on Moscow's financing of international terrorism.

It also contained a proposal to establish the Center of Excellence for developing AI-based weapons in cooperation with foreign partners, including Ukraine.

The support for Ukraine may face an increasingly uphill battle as the Republican Party has not only maintained control over the House but also won the Senate majority in the November elections.

It was the opposition from parts of the Republican Party that delayed a $61 billion aid bill earlier this year, contributing to battlefield setbacks for Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson also rejected a vote on the last-minute proposal by President Joe Biden for a $24 billion package to assist Ukraine and replenish arms.

`Hungary did not discuss any Christmas truce, prisoner swap with Ukraine, Presidential Office says`

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not approach Ukraine regarding his ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal, a Ukrainian presidential adviser told Suspilne on Dec. 11.

The Hungarian side "did not discuss anything" with Ukraine and "did not warn about its contacts with Moscow," said Dmytro Lytvyn, the presidential communications adviser, referring to Orban’s recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Orban criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on X for allegedly rejecting his Christmas truce proposal, reacting to an earlier post by Zelensky. Zelensky’s original post did not mention any ceasefire or prisoner exchange; instead, the Ukrainian president criticized Orban for calling Putin.

Ukraine and Russia held numerous prisoner exchanges throughout the full-scale war with the mediation of a third-party country. The most recent swap occurred in mid-October, with each side bringing back 95 prisoners.

The Kremlin was quick to issue a statement following Orban's comment, shifting the blame on Ukraine.

"Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during yesterday's telephone conversation with President Putin, proposed on the eve of Christmas to carry out a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, as well as to announce a Christmas ceasefire," Peskov said, adding that Kyiv had "rejected all of Orban's proposals."

Lytvyn said that Ukraine is "working daily for the release of prisoners" and that a major prisoner swap by the end of the year is being discussed, though denying any contact between Kyiv and Budapest on the matter.

"As always, we don't need PR, but a just peace, and not words, but reliable security guarantees," the advisor said.

Hungary has retained warm economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow even after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, criticizing EU sanctions against Russia and obstructing military aid for Kyiv.

A scandal involving Hungary and Ukrainian POWs arose in June 2023. Without consultations with Ukraine, Hungary transferred 11 Ukrainian soldiers of Hungarian ethnic origin from Russian captivity.

Even after the successful exchange, Budapest refused to provide any information to Kyiv about the Ukrainian citizens for weeks, further undermining Ukraine's trust.