Ukraine has said it is confident of receiving a 50 billion euro aid package from the European Union, despite opposition from Hungary, and expects all legal procedures to be completed before the EU summit in January. Emmanuel Macron said Viktor Orbán must not be allowed to hold the EU hostage, while Russia congratulated Hungary on blocking aid to Kyiv. In the coming days, the European Commission will transfer 1.5 billion euros to Ukraine from already existing agreements, Ursula von der Leyen reported.

Ukrainian soldiers at military exercises in KharkivPhoto: Vyacheslav Madievsky / UkrInform / Profimedia

Basic information about the war in Ukraine, day 661, LIVETEXT:

08:54 Last night, Russia attacked with 31 Shahed drones launched from three directions – Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Seshchi and Kursk, the Air Force of Ukraine reported on Saturday morning.

“As a result of the hostilities, 30 Shaheds were destroyed in the Dnipro, Kyiv, Vinitiya, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Mykolaiv, and Khmelnytskyi regions,” the Air Force Telegram post says.

08:01 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned against any foreign interference in the March 2024 presidential election campaign, which will take place amid the conflict in Ukraine and crackdown on the opposition.

“Any interference in the internal affairs of Russia will be suppressed, and strictly, according to Russian laws,” he said during a televised meeting with party leaders present in the Duma.

A brief summary of recent events:

  • The EU will help Ukraine “no matter what,” promises Ursula von der Leyen after Hungary blocked a financial package for Kyiv. “We are still a long way” from Ukraine joining the EU, says Emmanuel Macron, who also expects Viktor Orbán to “behave like a European” in the coming months.
  • Russia considers the European Union’s decision to start negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to be politicized, which could destabilize the European bloc.
  • The American anti-missile defense base in Redzikovo (Poland), a “sister” from Deveselu (Romania), became operational.
  • A shocking incident in a Ukrainian village: a deputy of the local council threw grenades during a meeting. 26 people were injured, 6 are in serious condition.
  • Lavrov claims that Western leaders have turned to Russia for negotiations on behalf of Ukraine. Russia’s foreign minister said on Friday that several European leaders had tried to reach an agreement with Moscow over the past six months.
  • Vladimir Putin: “It is in the interests of the state that women do not have abortions.” The President of Russia opposed the ban on abortions, but urged women not to resort to this procedure, citing the shrinking population of Russia.

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  • Friday’s events regarding Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro