Reaction to Russian claims
Only Ukraine and NATO members have the right to decide the vector of further development of their relations, including the issue of Ukraine's membership of the alliance, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko has said, as quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
"The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has noticed the Russian drafts of a treaty with the USA and an agreement with NATO on so-called security guarantees circulated by the Russian Foreign Ministry. In connection with the provisions of these drafts, which concern our state, we stress that only Ukraine and NATO members have the right to decide the vector of further development of their relations, including in the issue of Ukraine's obtaining membership in the Alliance," Nikolenko said.
Earlier, Russia officially proposed that NATO abandon further enlargement, including Ukraine's accession. The Kremlin demanded that the USA end military cooperation with Ukraine.
Zelenskyy meets G7
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting with G7 and EU ambassadors to Ukraine.
They summed up the foreign policy results of the year and outlined tasks for the future.
They discussed the security situation on Ukraine's borders and peaceful settlement in Donbas. In particular, Zelenskyy noted the importance of intensifying the work of all negotiating formats to de-escalate the situation.
The president thanked international partners for their support and assistance to Ukraine and invited the leaders of the G7 countries and the European Union to visit Ukraine.
"I look forward to seeing all leaders of your countries next year in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.
UN resolution on Crimea
The UN General Assembly adopted an updated resolution "Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine".
The resolution points out the inadmissibility of politically motivated persecution, torture and arbitrary detentions and arrests, extrajudicial killings, abductions, and enforced disappearances.
The resolution also highlights the restrictions faced by Ukrainians, including the indigenous people of Crimea – the Crimean Tatars – in exercising their economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to work, and the opportunity to preserve their identity, culture, and education in the Ukrainian and the Crimean Tatar languages.
Voice
The first deputy speaker of parliament, Oleksandr Korniyenko, has announced that the Voice faction decided to change its head by replacing Yaroslav Zheleznyak with Oleksandra Ustynova. He made this annoucement at an extraordinary parliamentary session.
According to the information read out by Korniyenko, Yuliya Klymenko has become the faction's deputy head.
Coal shortage
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that the problem of coal shortage in Ukraine has now been solved.
He said this during a government Q-and-A session in parliament.
"As for the availability of coal, to date, the balance is positive. We extract and import a total of 2 million tonnes per month while consuming 1.7 million tonnes per month, the problem with coal to date, according to the Ministry of Energy, has been solved," said Shmyhal.
He was commenting on a letter from the SBU, which allegedly warned the government about the threat of shutting down heat-generating companies due to the lack of fuel.