🔗 Share this article Leader Zelenskyy Declares Ukraine Was 10% Away from Peace, Yet Not at Any Possible Price In a year-end address, Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that a possible treaty was 90% complete. "The deal is 90 percent complete, ten percent remains," he said. "This is far more than simply figures." A Deal Requires Robust Guarantees, Not Weak Truce The president emphasized that his country desires an end to the war but not at "any possible cost". "What does our nation desires? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No," he declared. "We want an end to the war but not the destruction of our country." "Are we weary? Very. Does this mean we are prepared to capitulate? Any person who believes that is deeply wrong," Zelenskyy continued. He expressed doubt about Russian intentions, stating that even if forces pulled out from the eastern region, the war would not necessarily end. "Withdraw from the eastern regions, and everything will end. That is how a lie translates," he remarked. European Allies to Plan Post-Conflict Security Separately, French leader Emmanuel Macron announced that EU leaders and allies meeting in Paris on 6 January will make solid commitments towards protecting Ukraine following a potential agreement with Russia is reached. Cross-Border Attacks Continue At the same time, accounts of military actions persisted. An official from Ukraine's SBU said that Ukraine's long-range drones struck a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Rybinsk, causing a large fire. On the other side, in Ukraine, a Russian-launched aerial assault hit residential blocks and the power grid in Odesa, wounding six people, among them minors. Officials confirmed four buildings were damaged and considerable damage was caused to a couple of power facilities. Disputed Claims Over Drone Attack Regarding recent claims of a UAV strike targeting a property of Russian leader, US and European officials agree that Ukrainian forces was not behind the event. A report indicated that US security agencies determined the reported incident "did not happen". In response, Russia's defence ministry published a video purporting to show fragments of a downed Ukrainian-made drone. An official from Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs dismissed the evidence as "absurd" and suggested it showed a lack of credibility in creating the narrative. European Official Labels Claims a "Diversion" Kaja Kallas called Moscow's assertions "a deliberate diversion". "Nobody should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor," she said. Additional Updates DPRK Involvement: The DPRK's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, reportedly praised troops operating in an "foreign land" in a New Year message. Reports indicate the country has sent a significant number of personnel to support the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Restrictions Extension: United States authorities have according to a minister granted a temporary reprieve from restrictions to a Serbia-based, largely Russian-controlled energy firm until late January. The company operates the country's only oil refinery.