President Volodymyr Zelensky was received at the White House and in Congress on 21 December in order to present his 10-point peace plan along the lines of the Kyiv Security Compact  [1]. Crafted by former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the plan embodies a hard-line approach against Russia.

The trip was arranged by Andrii Yermak, the president’s chief of staff and former legal adviser to Zelensky, the artist.

Russia’s intervention in Ukraine to end the civil war and denazify the country is in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2202.

President Joe Biden was expected to announce an additional aid of $1.85 billion, including the delivery of the Patriot anti-missile system.

Ukraine and the United States could jointly designate Russia as an “aggressor state”.

This would then be the last legal step before a declaration of war by the United States against Russia.

On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would increase the number of troops participating in the military intervention up to 1.15 million. His Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu indicated that the Russian military arsenal is topped-up and ready for operation.

The current battle is, above all, being waged at the industrial level. NATO member states have run out of weapons and are struggling to produce them, while Russia still has enough steam and is investing heavily in its weapons factories.

[1] “The Kyiv Security Compact”, Voltaire Network, 13 September 2022.