WAR IN UKRAINE: December 27, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 307
About 9 million people in Ukraine remain without electricity as of the evening of December 26, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in an evening video message. However, the number of outages and their duration are decreasing, the President of Ukraine noted - DW
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said fighting in the eastern regions of Bakhmut, Kreminna and other areas in Donbas are “difficult and painful” for Ukrainian troops. Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko added that more than 60% of the infrastructure in the city of Bakhmut has been partially or fully destroyed in a update on Monday - Guardian
Ukraine’s foreign minister said Monday that his nation wants a summit to end the war but he doesn’t anticipate Russia taking part, a statement making it hard to foresee the devastating invasion ending soon. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press that his government wants a “peace” summit within two months at the United Nations with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as mediator. The UN gave a very cautious response. “As the secretary-general has said many times in the past, he can only mediate if all parties want him to mediate,” UN associate spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez said Monday. Kuleba said Russia must face a war-crimes tribunal before his country directly talks with Moscow. He said, however, that other nations should feel free to engage with Russians, as happened before a grain agreement between Turkey and Russia. Kuleba also said he was “absolutely satisfied” with the results of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the U.S. last week, and he revealed that the U.S. government had made a special plan to get the Patriot missile battery ready to be operational in the country in less than six months. Usually, the training takes up to a year. Kuleba said during the interview at the Foreign Ministry that Ukraine will do whatever it can to win the war in 2023. “Every war ends in a diplomatic way,” he said. “Every war ends as a result of the actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”
Zelensky said he sought India’s help with implementing a “peace formula” in a phone call with prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday. “I had a phone call with PM Narendra Modi and wished a successful G20 presidency,” Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter. “It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation.” The Indian government said in statement late on Monday that Modi “strongly reiterated” his call for an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine and conveyed India’s support for any peace efforts.
Right-wing Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) won a significant new fan — Kremlin state TV — for refusing to stand and applaud Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he spoke to Congress in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday. It hailed her as “brave” for failing to honor Zelensky, who has led his nation against a bloody, brutal invasion by Russia. The broadcast also gave shout outs to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson for dissing the leader considered a hero by his country - Huffington Post
In 2023, Ukraine’s economy may grow by approximately 1%, and inflation and the state budget deficit will decrease, according to the IMF. It is noted that after falling by almost a third in 2022, real GDP may slightly increase by about 1% in 2023, provided that there is a gradual revival of activity in areas that are not in the zone of active hostilities.
