Ukraine updates: Germany holds forum on economic support
Published December 11, 2024last updated December 11, 2024What you need to know
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered remarks at a gathering dedicated to ensuring Ukraine's financial resilience.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, his deputy Yulia Svyrydenko and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko are expected to attend.
Much of the focus will be on Ukraine's energy supply, which has undergone severe damage from Russian attacks.
In the United States, President-elect Donald Trump has said solving the Ukraine war will be his top international priority.
Here are the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Wednesday, December 11. This blog has now closed.
Kyiv rails on Hungarys Orban over ceasefire misinformation
Russia-friendly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has sparked yet another tiff with Kyiv, this time over claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected a Christmas ceasefire and prisoner exchange with Russia that Orban said he pitched in recent phone calls with Zelenskyy as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy aide Dmytro Lytvyn in a statement released Wednesday, "As always, the Hungarian side did not discuss anything with Ukraine. As always, the Hungarian side did not warn (us) about its contacts with Moscow."
Orban, who is known for his overtures to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, had said he was on a self-proclaimed "peace mission." Orban has repeatedly faced criticism for bucking EU policy by blocking aid to embattled Kyiv after it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
Zelenskyy blasted Orban, posting on the social media platform X that, "No one should boost (their) personal image at the expense of unity."
Russia has claimed no peaceful solution to the conflict is possible, saying Ukraine is not interested in a deal.
Scholz says Ukraine path to Europe is irreversible
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Ukraine's course of European integration cannot be reversed, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not achieved a single war goal.
Speaking at a German-Ukrainian economic forum, Scholz added that a large amount of private investment was needed for Ukraine's energy sector.
The chancellor also has called for German companies to invest more in the Ukrainian armaments and energy sector.
"If you invest in Ukraine today and in the coming years, you are investing in a future EU member," said Scholz.
"In the defense industry, there are initial joint ventures and some initial settlements — I think that this should continue dynamically.
"Ukraine will get through the winter," said the chancellor, referring to the ongoing Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure such as power plants.
Scholz also pointed out that Germany has already delivered five Iris-T SLM systems, three Patriot systems and over 50 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to defend Ukraine against Russian attacks.
Russia says will not concede on demands
Russia says it is not ready to make concessions when it comes to Ukraine and that President Vladimir Putin's own proposals on how to end the conflict must be implemented.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented after being asked about a call on Sunday by US President-elect Donald Trump for an immediate cease-fire.
Trump urged negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end "the madness."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been pushing hard for his country to be able to join the NATO military alliance, responded to Trump's comments by saying Kyiv needed effective security guarantees.
Zakharova said that anyone who thought Russia would make concessions either had a short memory or did not have enough knowledge of the subject.
Putin's proposals are that Ukraine must not join NATO and that Russia needs the entire territory of the four Ukrainian regions he has declared are now part of Russia.
Russia says two Kursk villages 'liberated'
Russia says it has recaptured two villages from Ukraine in the border region of Kursk, where Kyiv's forces launched a major ground assault in August.
Russian army units "liberated the settlements of Darino and Plyokhovo during the course of offensive operations", the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Putin and Orban talk by telephone, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have discussed the Ukraine conflict in a call.
"There was a thorough exchange of views on Ukrainian issues," the Kremlin said in its readout of the conversation on Wednesday, adding that Putin said Kyiv's position was "destructive," ruling out a peace agreement.
The call was initiated at Orban's request, with the Hungarian leader seeking to cast himself as a possible peacemaker.
"Viktor Orban expressed interest in assisting the joint search for political-diplomatic paths to resolve the crisis," the Kremlin said.
The pair's discussion came a day after Budapest's top diplomat said Hungary would press ahead with its self-styled Ukraine "peace mission."
Orban met US President-elect Donald Trump at his Florida estate earlier this week. Trump has vowed to secure a peace deal within hours of coming to office in January.
The Hungarian leader is the closest political partner of both Trump and Putin in the European Union.
He angered fellow EU leaders in July by carrying out breakaway diplomacy with Russia to explore a path to ending the conflict.
The Kremlin said Orban and Putin also discussed energy projects, with Budapest remaining a major consumer of Russian energy.
Germany puts focus on Ukraine energy, economy
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is among those set to speak at the German-Ukrainian Economic Forum in Berlin, where the focus will be on Ukraine's economic resilience.
From the German side, Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Development Minister Svenja Schulze are also expected to attend.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko are also expected to join.
Organizers say special attention will be given to Ukraine's energy supply as well as cooperation between German and Ukrainian arms companies.
The gathering comes nearly three years into the full-scale Russian invasion of the country, and with Ukraine once again facing a winter of power shortages amid Russia's relentless attacks on its energy infrastructure.
In 2023, Germany exported goods worth €6.9 billion ($8.8 billion) to Ukraine, while it imported goods worth €2.9 billion.
Imports from Ukraine mainly included agricultural products, automotive parts and food.
Trump says Ukraine is top international priority
US President-elect Donald Trump has said solving the Ukraine crisis would be his leading foreign priority once he assumes office next month.
"I think we have to solve the Ukraine problem with Russia," the US president-elect told French magazine Paris Match in an interview released on Wednesday.
"Both those countries are losing numbers that nobody can believe. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are being killed," Trump said in the interview carried out on Saturday.
His comments came in response to a question about his top priority on the international stage.
Meanwhile, Trump described the Middle East as a "less difficult situation."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to a call by Trump for an "immediate cease-fire" and peace talks in Ukraine by saying that his country needed "effective guarantees" for a peace that was secured from further Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy made his comments after three-way talks with Trump hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
rc/rm (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)