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Russia fired drones at targets across Ukraine, including Kyiv, early on December 20, Ukrainian authorities said, as the Kremlin ruled out peace talks hours after further U.S. aid to Ukraine was thrown into doubt.
The Ukrainian Air Force said 18 of 19 drones launched at Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, and other regions of Ukraine had been destroyed.
“According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.
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The Ukrainian Air Force also said Russia attacked the Kharkiv region in the east with two surface-to-air guided missiles. There were no casualties as a result of the assault, it added.
Meanwhile, the regional military administration in the southern Kherson region said on December 20 that 16 people, including four children, had been injured in Russian shelling the day before.
There was no immediate comment from Russia.
The fresh attacks come as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on December 20 that there is no current basis for talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
“We really consider that the topic of negotiations is not relevant right now,” Peskov said, adding that Kyiv’s proposed peace plan was absurd as it excluded Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree in October 2022 formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin “impossible” after Russia claimed to have annexed four regions of southern and eastern Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities and the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia.
Peskov’s comments come hours after reports emerged that the U.S. Senate will not vote on a package to provide more aid to Ukraine and bolster U.S. border security before early next year, as Democratic and Republican negotiators continue talks.
“Our negotiators are going to be working very, very diligently over the December and January break period, and our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. In a joint statement, Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said negotiators “are making encouraging progress” but “challenging issues remain.”
WATCH: At a press conference in Kyiv on December 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he is counting on additional military aid from the United States to help strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.
Schumer and McConnell said they are “committed” to passing legislation sending billions to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the southern U.S. border.
Despite the setback, Zelenskiy said earlier in Kyiv that an unspecified number of U.S.-provided air-defense systems are on the way and said the Europeans also continue to provide help, but he stressed that Ukraine needs immediate assistance to continue the fight.
“We need help from the United States right now. We need assistance from the European Union,” Zelenskiy said. “I am happy that our partners listened to us and heard us. I think the assistance will come to Ukraine very soon.”
Citing the expected delivery of national advanced antiaircraft missile systems (NASAMS), Zelenskiy said he is sure the United States will provide everything promised because Washington understands that all its financial support goes toward Ukraine’s need to stand against the invasion.
“I am sure that the United States will not betray us and we will get everything that was promised,” he said, adding that Ukraine has established “special ties” with its partners in Europe — both in the EU and other European nations — and they “continue to support us” with funding and military aid.
The news conference came as the White House said it planned more military aid this month, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved a $4.3 billion capital increase to boost funding for Ukraine.
Zelenskiy can count on at least one additional package of U.S. military aid for Ukraine before the end of the year, but the larger package of $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel, and border security has stalled in Congress as President Joe Biden tries to persuade lawmakers — mainly Republicans — to overcome reluctance to authorize further aid.
Earlier in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at a meeting with top military leaders that Russian troops are “holding the initiative” in Ukraine.
“We are effectively doing what we think is needed, doing what we want,” Putin said. “Where our commanders consider it necessary to stick to active defenses they are doing so, and we are improving our positions where it’s needed.”
With reporting by AP and Reuters
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