Sanctions
Turkey condemns Ukraine's attacks on oil tankers
Turkey condemns Ukraine's sea drone attacks on two civilian oil tankers in the Russian shadow fleet, reports Sky News.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli says the attacks took place in Turkey's exclusive economic zone and that they "pose a serious threat to shipping, lives, property and the environment in the region".
He adds that Turkey is holding talks with "relevant actors" to prevent the war from spreading to the Black Sea and threatening Turkey's economic interests.
International response
Ukraine to build drones in Norway: "Increases Europe's security"
Ukraine is to start building drones in Norway, reports Norwegian news agency NTB. According to the declaration of intent signed between the countries, production is to start early next year and then expand throughout the year.
The drones will then be donated to Ukraine, says Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik to NTB.
– The goal is to achieve closer and deeper cooperation with the Norwegian defense industry to increase production capacity and thereby Europe's security, says Sandvik.
Swedish security situation
Expert: Nuns go under the radar in Sweden
For several years, women from a monastery in Belarus have visited congregations within the Church of Sweden. Jörgen Holmlund, a teacher in intelligence analysis at the Swedish National Defense University, believes that they are using the monastery as a cover to gather intelligence in Sweden. He tells TV4 Nyheterna.
Yesterday, the Church of Sweden issued a central warning to its congregations to no longer receive the women because they are linked to the Russian intelligence agency GRU. It is estimated that they have visited about ten churches over several years.
Holmlund believes that the intelligence gathering is aimed at churches because it provides information about the civilian structure.
– Church personnel go under the radar in a completely different way
Negotiations
Ukrainian source: “Talks with the US are not easy”
Negotiations between the US and Ukraine are in full swing in Florida. The process is not easy, a source close to Kyiv’s delegation tells AFP.
– The search for formulations and solutions continues, the source says, adding that the talks are constructive.
Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia wrote earlier on X that the meeting had a good start, and described the atmosphere as warm.
The delegation is led by Security Council Chairman Rustem Umerov. He writes on X that he is in constant contact with President Zelensky, who has tasked them with safeguarding Ukrainian interests.
“We are working to ensure real peace for Ukraine and reliable, long-term security guarantees,” he continues.
On the American side are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Rubio: Productive talks – but more work remains
Sunday night’s negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations were very productive, but more work remains. That is the message from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, writes Reuters.
– There are a lot of moving parts, and of course there is a third party here that is part of the equation, Rubio told reporters after the meeting.
In the next step, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow to continue talks with Putin. That meeting will be held at the beginning of the week.
The chairman of the Ukrainian Security Council, Rustem Umerov, who led his delegation, describes the talks as “productive and successful”. No details about which points of the proposed peace agreement were discussed, and what the parties reached, were given.
Russian invasion • Negotiations
Ukrainian experts: OK with limited army
The issue of the size of the Ukrainian army after a peace agreement has been a hot potato in the negotiations. The peace plan between Russia and the US proposed 600,000, and the EU quickly came up with a counter-proposal of 800,000.
However, Ukrainian experts that the Kyiv Independent spoke to believe that this is far more than what is needed. Oleksij Hetman, a military analyst and retired major, believes that 300,000 is enough – provided that they are professional and kept on standby.
“After the war, we will not need nearly a million soldiers like we have today, because we do not even have enough training facilities,” he says.
Julia Kazdobina of the think tank Ukrainian Prism emphasizes that limiting the Ukrainian army sends the wrong signals, since Russia is the aggressor and poses a continuing threat.
