**Key Developments on Dec. 17**
Ukraine’s security agency, the SBU, has assassinated a Russian general who was charged with chemical weapons crimes.
**Russian General Killed by Ukraine’s SBU**
The Russian general, identified as Sergei Korotkov, was killed in an operation carried out by Ukraine’s SBU. Korotkov was accused of being involved in the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian civilians and soldiers.
**Heavy Fighting in Kursk Oblast**
There has been heavy fighting in Kursk Oblast, with both sides suffering significant losses. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces claim to have killed 50 North Korean mercenaries and injured 47 more.
**Zelensky Rejects Orban’s Mediation**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s offer to mediate in potential peace talks with Russia. Zelensky said that Ukraine does not need Orban’s mediation and that Hungary has no leverage over Russia.
**Most Poles Support Peace Deal**
A poll by the Polish Center for Public Opinion Research found that a majority of Poles support ending the war in Ukraine, even if it requires territorial concessions to Russia.
**Key Quotes**
* “We will not let anyone, including Prime Minister Orban, succeed in their efforts to undermine our victory.” – Volodymyr Zelensky
* “Negotiations on a sustainable peace will begin only when the enemy does not have the resources to continue the war.” – Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff
**Latest Updates**
* Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov has stated that Moscow’s aim is to fully occupy Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts by 2025.
* President-elect Donald Trump has described the war as “horrible” and expressed his intent to make “a little progress” toward peace.
**Sources**
Kyiv Independent, Polish Radio, CBOS.