Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico Meets with Vladimir Putin in Moscow
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on December 22. This was his first visit to Moscow since returning to power in 2023.
Fico’s trip comes as Slovakia seeks to secure a gas supply deal for 2024. The country has a long-term contract with Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom and estimates alternative arrangements could cost an additional €220 million ($228.73 million) in transit fees.
European leaders have been critical of Ukraine’s stance against renewing its gas transit agreement with Gazprom. Fico previously criticized Ukraine, saying “We are demonstrably facing a gas crisis thanks to President Zelensky.”
Ukraine has said it will not extend the transit agreement for Russian gas through its territory, set to expire on December 31.
Russia Invades Ukraine
The reports of casualties come as Ukraine’s Air Force reported shooting down 52 attack drones, including the Shahed type, that Russia launched against the country overnight. The Air Force added that it lost track of 44 decoy drones that Russia launched alongside the real attack drones.
This number includes 1,820 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on December 22. According to their conclusions for the year, 2024 will likely mark the “war’s deadliest year,” with a current count of over 20,000 deaths confirmed over the past 12 months.
Ukraine boxer Oleksandr Usyk retained his unified heavyweight championship title by defeating U.K.-born Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 22. The oncology center, which has operated in a limited capacity since the start of the full-scale invasion, housed the only linear accelerator offering radiotherapy treatment in the city.
A Ukrainian woman is in serious condition after a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on the evening of December 20. The incident has claimed five lives and left over 200 people injured, many of them critically.
Ukraine Criticizes Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on December 21 that he met with CIA Director William Burns in Ukraine, marking a rare public acknowledgment of their discussions during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The Russian embassy in London criticized the U.K.’s plan to transfer more than two billion pounds ($2.5 billion) to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, calling it a “fraudulent scheme.”
Ukraine has said that Russia is responsible for the recent attacks and casualties. President Zelensky called on international leaders to take action against Russia.
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