The U.S. law bars any peace deal forcing Ukraine to cede its territory: CAATSA's ironclad prohibition on territorial concessions

Despite pressure from proposed peace plans that would compel Ukraine to withdraw from the uncaptured parts of the Donbas area, meeting Russian President Putin demands, the United States remains legally barred from endorsing or facilitating any agreement involving Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia, thanks to the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Public Law 115-44, signed into law in 2017. Section 257 of CAATSA explicitly declares it U.S. policy to "work with European Union Member States and European institutions to promote energy security through developing diversified and liberalized energy markets," but more critically, it codifies a firm stance against recognizing Russian violations of Ukraine's sovereignty, including any forced territorial changes—making such deals not just politically impossible but legally void under federal law.

This bipartisan measure, enacted to counter Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine, ensures that no peace plan, informal understanding, or private arrangement can require Kyiv to surrender its territory without its approval in Congress, effectively preserving Ukraine from possible U.S.-backed capitulation and underscoring Washington's long-term commitment to its territorial integrity.

Russian mass drone attack left Sumy without power

Sumy lost power on the night of December 8 after a wave of Russian drone strikes hit the northeastern city, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported. More than a dozen drones struck targets across the city within roughly 30 minutes.

“There is no electricity supply in Sumy,” Hryhorov said on Telegram, adding that parts of the city’s critical infrastructure are running on backup power.

Water services and healthcare facilities are also operating on emergency generators, according to Sumy Military Administration head Serhii Kryvosheienko.

Russia continues to target critical infrastructure nationwide despite ongoing U.S. efforts to broker an end to the war. On December 7, Russian forces struck the Pechenihy reservoir dam in Kharkiv Oblast, closing the roadway across the site.

That same day, local officials reported at least two deaths and 19 injuries in Russian attacks across Ukraine.

The strikes follow a massive missile-and-drone assault overnight on December 6 that heavily damaged energy facilities across the country, including substations, power plants, and a key transmission line supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

"Long before Putin, it was an understanding that Ukraine would not be going into NATO" - Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Politico that there has always been an understanding that Ukraine would not join NATO — a claim he framed as predating both the current war and even Vladimir Putin’s rise to power.

Trump told the outlet that the idea of Ukraine remaining outside the alliance existed long before Putin, arguing that Western leaders had long operated under that assumption. He also claimed that, during an initial meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin, Zelensky pressed for the return of Crimea and NATO membership — though Trump offered no evidence and his account contradicts public records.

The only confirmed in-person meeting between Zelensky and Putin took place in Paris in 2019, with Trump not present and NATO membership not on the agenda.

Trump went on to characterize Zelensky as “a great salesman” and argued that the Ukrainian president persuaded President Joe Biden to provide roughly $350 billion in assistance. Trump said that despite this support, Ukraine has lost about 25% of its territory.

Fact checking

The numbers claimed by American Presidents do not match reality and are significantly exaggerated. The US spent a total of $130.6bn between 24 January 2022 and 31 August 2025, according to the Kiel Institute, a Germany-based think tank that tracks international support for Ukraine.

The US government has provided its own figure looking at all spending on Operation Atlantic Resolve - a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It says $187bn has been "appropriated" - a figure that covers US military training in Europe and replenishment of US defence stocks.

Russians pull infantry into Siversk, the city is falling into the enemy`s hands

Russian forces have seized five villages in Donetsk Oblast and are tightening their grip on the strategic city of Siversk, which analysts warn is “slowly falling into enemy hands.” In a separate advance, Russian troops also captured the village of Kamianske in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to the Ukrainian military analysis group DeepState.

DeepState reported on December 8 that Russian forces had taken Lysivka, Sukhyi Yar, Hnativka, Rih, and Novopavlivka in Donetsk Oblast. The group later said the situation in Siversk had sharply deteriorated as Russian infantry continued to push into the city.

“The situation is developing in a far from positive way as Siversk is slowly falling into enemy hands,” DeepState wrote, adding that early information suggests roughly half the city may already be under Russian control.