Zelenskyy asks West for weapon systems
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called on Western leaders meeting in Latvia to provide a wide range of weapons systems in Kiev’s ongoing war with Russia, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is shown on screen speaking via video link during a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) plenary session in Riga, Latvia on Dec. 19, 2022.
Henry Nichols | Afp | Getty Images
“I ask you to increase the ability to provide air defense systems to our country and to accelerate the relevant decisions that our partners need to make,” Zelenskyy asked during his speech via video link to the leadership meeting in Riga.
Western allies, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, will meet in the Baltic nation for the British-led group on Monday.
— Karen Gilchrist
Belarus says military checks completed ahead of Putin’s visit
The Belarusian defense ministry said on Monday it had completed a series of inspections of the military readiness of its armed forces, signaling a possible shift to a more active role in the conflict, Reuters reported.
Russia’s ally Belarus, which acted as a staging post for Moscow to launch its invasion of Ukraine in February, has carried out a series of military maneuvers in recent weeks.
It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Minsk on Monday, fueling fears he may pressure his ex-Soviet ally to join a new offensive against Ukraine.
— Karen Gilchrist
The Russian ruble falls to its lowest level in six months
The Russian ruble on Monday plunged to a more than six-month low against the dollar as low oil prices and mounting fears of sanctions threatened to weigh on the country’s export earnings.
The ruble was 2.4% weaker against the dollar, trading at 66.22 at around 9:00 GMT on Monday. The dip marks the ruble’s lowest level since May 30.
— Karen Gilchrist
‘Moderately serious’ damage from Russian drone attack
A Russian drone strike caused “quite serious” damage in the Kiev region on Monday, Governor Oleksiy Kubela said, according to Reuters.
Three areas in the region were without power, the governor said, after Russia unleashed 35 “kamikaze” drones on Ukraine in the early hours of Monday morning.
The strike, which knocked out critical infrastructure, marks Moscow’s third airstrike on Ukraine’s capital in six days, Reuters reported.
— Karen Gilchrist
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