Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that “only decisiveness” can bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to an end and bring lasting peace.

Days after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said working together to bring an end to the war is the top priority, and he expressed gratitude to Trump “for his strong resolve to bring this war to a fair end.”

The Ukrainian leader further said he told Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin “fears only him and perhaps China.”

“We know that America has the capacity to accomplish remarkable things—things that others have not been able to achieve,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “To succeed in ending this war, we need unity—the unity of America, Europe, and everyone in the world who values security—as well as strong positions and guarantees for peace.”

Zelenskyy’s comments come amid questions about the level of U.S. support for Ukraine as U.S. leadership transitions from President Joe Biden’s administration to a new Trump term next month.

The United States under Biden has led efforts to organize billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine, including ammunition and air defenses to defend against Russian attacks.

Trump said after the meeting Sunday that there should be an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Some information provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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Russian state media say Moscow has granted asylum to ousted Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, who reports say landed in Moscow after escaping from Damascus Sunday. The Kremlin was a key supporter of Assad in his government’s brutal attempts to defeat rebels, and that memory may make it difficult for Moscow to regain its foothold in Syria, which until a few days ago appeared unshakable. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina
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The collapse of the Syrian regime and the influx of thousands of families into Kurdish areas, particularly in Derik, has led to an economic crisis in these regions. As a result, the value of the dollar has risen sharply, significantly impacting the livelihoods of both local residents and newly arrived immigrants.

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Turkish warplanes launched three airstrikes near the Qara Quzaq Bridge, a strategic bridge that connects the eastern Euphrates to the western Euphrates. The strikes, targeting Kurdish security forces, resulted in the deaths of one member of the Internal Security Forces and two traffic police officers.

These strikes, along with ongoing attacks by Turkish-backed Syrian armed groups on areas governed by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration, have heightened fears and unrest among civilians. Ridwan Bezar, a freelance stringer based in northern Syria, provides a detailed video report of these developments.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he is open to the possibility of a diplomatic resolution to the country’s war with Russia.

“Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it,” the Ukrainian president said Monday at a joint press conference in Kyiv with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz.

Zelenskyy also said he is open to the possibility of foreign troops being deployed to Ukraine to help his country end its war with Russia, a conflict that has been ongoing for nearly three years.

“But before that, we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the European Union and when Ukraine will be in NATO,” Zelenskyy said.

On his Telegram channel, the Ukrainian leader said the deployment of troops to Ukraine would be a step forward for the Eastern European country’s quest to join NATO.

Zelenskyy’s openness to a negotiated end to the conflict with Russia and the presence of Western troops in Ukraine coincides with Russia’s recent gains in Ukraine and the upcoming inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump met with Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said he plans to call U.S. President Joe Biden soon about Ukraine joining NATO.

“He is the current president, and a lot rides on his opinion. And there is no point in discussing with President Trump something that is not up to him today — while he is not yet in the White House,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump has said he wants the war between Russia and Ukraine to end quickly and has called for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.

However, Zelenskyy told the New York Post that while Trump wants a ceasefire, the two leaders have not discussed any details about that arrangement.

Merz, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s challenger in the upcoming German election, said at the joint address with Zelenskyy that the “basic consensus” in Germany is that Germany will continue to supply Ukraine with military aid.

In his meetings with Zelenskyy, Merz did, however, note that Germany’s position on Ukraine differs from the stance that France, the U.S. and the U.K. have taken on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“Our position is clear, as is that of my parliamentary group: We want to put your army in a position to reach military bases in Russia — not the civilian population, not the infrastructure — but the military targets from which your country is being fought,” he said.

“With this range restriction, we are forcing your country to fight with one hand behind its back,” he said.

Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 18 drones that Russian forces deployed in overnight attacks.

The Ukrainian air force said the intercepts took place over the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytsky, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil and Vinnytsia regions.

There were no reports of casualties or major damage.

Ukrainian air defenses also shot down two Russian guided missiles, the military said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday its air defenses destroyed 13 Ukrainian aerial drones.

Most of the drones were shot down near the Russia-Ukraine border in the Belgorod and Rostov regions. Two of the drones were destroyed over Astrakhan, located about 200 kilometers from the border.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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Turkey is one of the principal backers of some of the Syrian rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad and a likely winner as Ankara seeks to gain influence in the country. However, analysts warn much will depend on whether a stable government emerges after Assad’s departure. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
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BERLIN — Germany and several other European countries said Monday they are suspending decisions on asylum claims by Syrian nationals because of the unclear situation in their homeland following the fall of Bashar Assad.

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said Monday that more than 47,000 applications are currently pending. It said it would reassess the situation and resume decisions once things in Syria have stabilized.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Sonja Kock noted that asylum decisions take account of the circumstances of each case, which involves assessing the situation in the applicant’s country. She said the migration authority has the option of prioritizing cases from other places if a situation is unclear, as it currently is in Syria.

More broadly, German officials said it’s too early to tell what the fall of Assad will ultimately mean for the many Syrians who sought refuge in Germany in recent years, particularly in the mid-2010s.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said it’s not yet possible to predict “concrete possibilities to return” and “it would be unserious to speculate about this in such a volatile situation.”

Her ministry said that, as of Oct. 31, there were 974,136 Syrian nationals in the country, the majority of whom had some kind of refugee or other protected status.

In neighboring Austria, Chancellor Karl Nehammer also tasked his interior minister with suspending decisions on current asylum applications by Syrians, the Austria Press Agency reported.

“It is important to first establish facts, to put asylum and family reunion procedures on hold,” Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said. “We need to wait until the dust settles, so we can see what is happening, what the next points are.”

Sweden’s Migration Agency said it will also pause decisions on Syrian asylum cases, arguing that it isn’t possible at present to assess applicants’ reasons for seeking protection. It didn’t specify how long the pause would last, but said a similar decision was made in connection with the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

In Finland, the director of the Department for International Protection at the Finnish Immigration Service, Antti Lehtinen, told public broadcaster YLE that decisions have been suspended there, and he can’t immediately estimate when they will resume.

In Norway, the Directorate of Immigration announced a similar decision, saying that it has put asylum applications from Syria on hold “until further notice.”

France says it was considering following Germany’s example.

“We are working on a suspension of ongoing asylum files from Syria,” the French Interior Ministry said. “We should reach a decision in the coming hours.”

The ministry said 450 applications from Syrian citizens are pending in France.
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Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 18 drones that Russian forces deployed in overnight attacks.

The Ukrainian air force said the intercepts took place over the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytsky, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil and Vinnytsia regions.

There were no reports of casualties or major damage.

Ukrainian air defenses also shot down two Russian guided missiles, the military said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday its air defenses destroyed 13 Ukrainian aerial drones.

Most of the drones were shot down near the Russia-Ukraine border in the Belgorod and Rostov regions. Two of the drones were destroyed over Astrakhan, located about 200 kilometers from the border.
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