Zelensky: I blocked the agreement with Trump on mineral rights as it does not protect Ukraine interests.
Then he goes diplomatic. It must be legally correct regarding investments and security guarantees. I don’t yet see in the document. 1/
Zelensky about meeting in Saudi Arabia: I haven't seen any invitations for Ukraine to meet with envoys. We have no documents or negotiations with our strategic partners. Russia is not one of them. 2/
Zelensky: To defend against a potential Russian offensive, we need not 50, 100, or 300 thousand. European leaders understand this and are considering the financial implications. 3/
Losing the alliance between Europe and the U.S. would benefit only Putin and North Korea. 4/
Zelensky: If Putin only wants a ceasefire to ease his isolation, that’s not real peace. The U.S. holds key political power, and its approach to Russia matters. 5/
If Trump can push Putin toward genuine peace, we may achieve real security guarantees for the first time - if all sides, especially America, are ready. 6/
Zelensky: European leaders, once more skeptical than the U.S., are now more ready to support Ukraine. They understand the danger - Putin will come, not if he comes. 7/
He may test NATO, and without strong sanctions and unity between the EU and the U.S., that is very dangerous. 8/
Everyone needs to get used to the fact that Ukraine can no longer be told where to be. 9/
Zelensky: Strong security guarantees are not possible without U.S. Troops on the borders or front lines must include U.S. and European partners. 10/
Without the U.S, it’s weak. The number of troops matters, and for now, Europe alone is not enough. 11/
Zelensky on elections: No one raises this issue at a high level, except Putin, sometimes the U.S. Everyone understands our law and the consequences. 12/
The shift to a contract army was the right step, aligning with U.S. practices. This war isn’t just about manpower but advanced weapons. Now it's about drones, not just tanks. 13/
Zelensky: North Korea involvement in war is global threat. They’ve gained experience in missiles, drones, and electronic warfare, and they will use it. 14/
Distance no longer matters - missiles and drones fly thousands of kilometers. If Russia wins, others will follow. We must defend values and protect every country, no matter its size. 15/
Zelensky: The U.S. needs to see the reality of this war firsthand, without outside influence. I invited Mr. Kellogg to the front to witness it himself and speak with our commanders. 16/
I want him to bring this understanding to President Trump. After that, we can discuss concrete steps toward our goals. 17X
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Thank you for reading. If you want to support Ukraine and our work through education, please consider donating to a scholarship for war affected students
The UK has resupplied Ukraine with more Storm Shadow missiles [has hit Bryansk Chemical Plant, one of Russia's biggest] for long-range strikes inside Russia — Bloomberg.
The move ensures Kyiv is stocked for winter.
1/
Britain’s deliveries come as Trump again ruled out sending Tomahawk missiles.
Storm Shadows — range 250 km — have helped Ukraine strike deep targets, including a Russian chemical plant hit in October.
2/
The missiles are made by MBDA and guided by GPS, terrain mapping, and inertial systems.
They can fly low and evade radar. Their exact number sent to Ukraine remains undisclosed.
3/
McFaul: If Russia stayed quasi-democratic and integrated with Europe, it could be one of the most important countries now.
Instead, Putin overreached in Ukraine. He wrecked Russia's economy and slaughtered young people. His autocracy and imperialism set Russia back decades. 1/
McFaul: One of Putin’s top officials told me in 2014: ‘We care more about Ukraine than you Americans do.
And we have longer attention spans than you.’ I think about that every day. I hope he’s wrong, but some days, I fear he’s right. 2/
McFaul: Putin doesn’t have the military or economic power of the U.S. or China.
He’s number 3 militarily, number 11 economically. But with the limited power he has, he’s willing to use it to burn it all down. 3/
Serhii Plokhy: What Putin is doing now to Ukraine would be like Trump claiming not Canada but Britain.
Because that’s where the origins of the political system, language, and ideas Americans see as their own were born. A state on the periphery reclaiming its former metropole. 1/
Plokhy: Ukrainian nation is led by a president with Jewish background, a Crimean Tatar as defense minister, and an ethnic Russian general from Russia.
Ukraine’s political nation has become immune to the language-and-religion card — united across ethnic and linguistic lines. 2/
Plokhy: Before invading Ukraine, Putin wrote a long essay claiming Russians and Ukrainians are one people.
He borrowed this idea from 19th-century imperial historiography — trying to drag a 1800s model of the Russian nation into the 21st century. It’s insane. 3/
Timothy Snyder: Putin’s idea is that in 862 Russia came into being and there was no Ukraine then. So there’s no Ukraine now.
Zelenskyy represents a people who don’t want to give up themselves, their land, or sovereignty. Trump treats it like a real-estate deal. But it’s not. 1/
Snyder: I don’t think it [the outcome of war] is up to Trump. When he talks about Tomahawks, he’s just asking the Russians to bribe him. My eye is on the battlefield.
Ukraine is doing okay. As long as we don’t let them down, eventually, the Russians will break. 2/
Snyder: Ukraine’s lesson is simple - you just keep doing the thing that you’re doing.
You never know when you’re about to win. You win by doing it every boring day. Even if you’re depressed, even if people you know died. 3/