🔗 Share this article Leader Zelenskyy Says The Nation Is 10% Away from Peace, But Not at Any Possible Cost During his New Year's Eve address, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a possible treaty was ninety percent ready. "The deal is 90% complete, 10% is left," he noted. "And that is far more than simply figures." An Agreement Needs Robust Guarantees, Not a Weak Truce The president stressed that his country desires peace but not at "any cost". "What does our nation desires? Peace? Yes. At any cost? Certainly not," he declared. "Our goal is a conclusion to the conflict but not the end of our country." "Are we exhausted? Very. Does that imply we are ready to capitulate? Anyone who thinks so is deeply mistaken," he added. He expressed skepticism about Russian aims, suggesting that should forces pulled out from the Donbas Donbas, the conflict would not end. "Pull out from the eastern regions, and it will all be over. This is how deception translates," he commented. European Allies to Plan Post-War Guarantees In related news, French leader Emmanuel Macron announced that European leaders and allies gathering in Paris on 6 January will establish solid pledges towards ensuring the security of Ukraine after a potential agreement with Moscow is brokered. Reciprocal Attacks Reported At the same time, reports of military strikes persisted. An official from Kyiv's security service said that Ukrainian long-range drones hit a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Rybinsk, causing a significant blaze. In Ukraine, a Russian drone attack struck apartment buildings and the power grid in Odesa, wounding six people, including children. Local authorities confirmed multiple apartment buildings were damaged and considerable harm was reported to two power facilities. Disputed Claims Over Drone Attack Concerning previous allegations of a drone strike targeting a property of Russia's president, American and European officials agree that Ukraine was not behind the event. An article indicated that US national security agencies concluded the reported attack "never occurred". Reacting, The Russian ministry of defense released a video purporting to show debris of a downed Ukrainian drone. A Ukrainian foreign ministry ridiculed the footage as "laughable" and stated it demonstrated a lack of seriousness in fabricating the narrative. EU Diplomat Labels Claims a "Distraction" Kaja Kallas described Russia's assertions "a deliberate distraction". "No one should accept baseless allegations from the invading force," she remarked. Other Updates DPRK Role: The DPRK's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, reportedly hailed troops serving in an "foreign land" in a new year's message. Reports suggest North Korea has sent a significant number of personnel to support Russia's invasion in Ukraine. Sanctions Reprieve: The US have according to a minister granted a temporary exemption from sanctions to a Serbia-based, largely Russian-controlled energy firm until late January. The company manages the country's only oil refinery.