Igor Dodon, the pro-Russian former president of Moldova and leader of the Socialist Party, has said that the country's leader, Maia Sandu, "on purpose" gave a press conference at the same time as Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Lithuania's new Cabinet of Ministers arrived in Kyiv on Friday, 20 December.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has spoken with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto about the options for equipping Ukrainian brigades.

Norwegian NASAMS air defence systems have been deployed in the Polish city of Rzeszów to ensure the security of a logistics hub which is key to supporting Ukraine.

The Pentagon has predicted an increase in casualties among North Korean military personnel who continue to participate in fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

European Union chief diplomat Kaja Kallas has said that Western states should stop offering peace talks to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and instead ensure that their promises of security guarantees to Kyiv are not "hollow".

On Wednesday, 18 December, the Czech Senate (the upper house of the Czech Parliament) recognised the mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars as an act of genocide.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has said that the draft of the next package of sanctions against Russia is already being prepared.

The Pentagon believes that Ukrainian forces may have killed or wounded "hundreds" of soldiers sent by North Korea to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The Pentagon has suggested that the current administration of US President Joe Biden will not have time to spend all the remaining funds under the PDA programme (about US$5.6 billion) that Congress has allocated to send weapons and other military assistance to Ukraine.

The US has had no confirmation regarding the deployment of new North Korean units to Russia but does not rule out such a possibility.

The current US administration is confident that the military assistance already provided or planned to be provided to Kyiv by the end of Joe Biden's presidency will suffice for Ukraine until the end of 2025.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) countries to carry out agreements on the provision of air defence systems in the wake of large-scale Russian strikes.

NATO fighter jets patrolling in the Baltic region were scrambled seven times last week to identify and intercept Russian aircraft that had violated flight rules.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the United Kingdom wants to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position in 2025.