Russia - Ukraine War Update
<div class=\"default-font-wrapper\" style=\"line-height: 1;font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;\"><div style=\"line-height: 1;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;\">Russia - Ukraine War Update <br id=\"isPasted\"><br>--A Ukrainian drone attack in the western Russia region of Smolensk, which borders Ukraine, caused a fuel spill and fire at an oil depot. The local governor said Russian air defence systems -suppressed an attack by Ukrainian- drones in Yartsevo district.<br>--Russia's Ministry of Defence reported 68 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were downed overnight with 10 destroyed over the Smolensk region.<br>--Russia and Ukraine have swapped more than 300 prisoners of war (POWs) in an exchange brokered by the United Arab Emirates. Russia's Defence Ministry said it swapped 150 Ukrainian POWs while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 189 Ukrainians returned home.<br>--Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani walks as he meets with senior Ukrainian delegation led by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha<br>--Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, right, also referred to as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, walks to meet a Ukrainian delegation in Damascus <br>--US President Joe Biden announced his administration will provide nearly $2.5bn in military aid to Ukraine in the latest move to support the war-torn country ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January.<br>--The United States also announced an additional $3.4bn in economic assistance to help Ukraine's government and prop up its infrastructure with Biden stating he ordered his government to provide ,as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible-.<br>--Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and other officials met Ukraine's foreign minister with Syria expressing hopes of establishing ,strategic partnerships- between the two countries.<br>--Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to promote ,world peace- in a New Year's message to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, saying ,China and Russia have consistently moved forward hand-in-hand along the correct path of non-alignment, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party-.<br>--In a letter to mark the New Year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended his greetings to his ,dearest friend and comrade- Putin, the Russian people and Russian military personnel.<br>--Moldova's separatist Transnistria region cut gas supplies to state institutions ahead of the year-end expiration of a Russian gas transit deal through Ukraine – a day after Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would suspend gas exports to Moldova on January 1 over unpaid debts.</span></div></div>