🔗 Share this article Leader Zelenskyy States Ukraine Was 10% Off from a Peace Deal, But Not at Any Possible Price As part of his New Year's Eve address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that a possible treaty was ninety percent prepared. "The deal is 90 percent complete, ten percent is left," he said. "And that is much more than simply numbers." An Agreement Requires Strong Guarantees, Not a Fragile Ceasefire The president stressed that Ukraine desires an end to the war but would not accept it at "any cost". "What is it that our nation desires? Peace? Absolutely. No matter the price? Certainly not," he declared. "We want an end to the war but not the end of Ukraine." "Is the nation tired? Very. Does this mean we are prepared to give up? Any person who believes that is deeply mistaken," he added. He expressed skepticism about Russian aims, suggesting that should troops pulled out from the eastern Donbas, the conflict would not end. "Pull out from the eastern regions, and it will all be over. This is how a lie sounds," he commented. EU Leaders to Plan Post-War Guarantees Separately, France's leader Emmanuel Macron announced that EU allies and partners gathering in Paris in early January will establish solid commitments towards ensuring the security of the country after a potential peace deal with Russia is reached. Cross-Border Attacks Continue At the same time, reports of military actions persisted. An official from Kyiv's security service said that Ukraine's long-range drones hit an oil depot in the Russian city of Rybinsk, causing a significant blaze. On the other side, in Ukraine, a Russian aerial assault struck apartment buildings and the power grid in Odesa, wounding several people, among them children. Local authorities said multiple buildings were damaged and considerable damage was caused to a couple of energy facilities. Contested Claims Over Aerial Incident Concerning previous claims of a drone attack aimed at a property of Russian president, American and European authorities are in agreement that Ukrainian forces was not behind the incident. A report stated that American security officials determined the reported incident "never occurred". Reacting, Russia's defence ministry published a footage claiming to show fragments of a downed Ukrainian-made unmanned aerial vehicle. An official from Ukraine's foreign ministry ridiculed the footage as "laughable" and stated it showed a lack of credibility in fabricating the story. European Official Labels Claims a "Distraction" Kaja Kallas called Russia's assertions "a deliberate diversion". "Nobody should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor," she said. Additional Updates DPRK Role: The DPRK's leader, Kim Jong-un, reportedly hailed troops serving in an "alien territory" in a new year's address. Reports suggest the country has sent a significant number of personnel to support Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. Restrictions Reprieve: The US have reportedly given a short-term exemption from restrictions to a Serbian, majority Russian-owned oil company until 23 January. The company operates the country's only refinery.