There's no point in his coming as a tourist
On the 990th day of a war that has reshaped the architecture of European security, Russian forces pressed deeper into eastern Ukraine while the political foundations sustaining Kyiv's defense began to show new fractures. The advance toward Kurakhove unfolded against a backdrop of shifting alliances — a Trump-Musk phone call, a cooling British partnership, and a Hungarian leader predicting the end of American military aid — reminding the world that wars are sustained not only by soldiers but by the willingness of distant capitals to keep faith. Small gestures of diplomacy and accountability emerged at the margins, as if to insist that even in the grinding machinery of modern war, the human impulse toward order and conscience does not entirely disappear.
- Russian troops entered Sontsivka and are pushing toward Kurakhove, with Zelenskyy himself acknowledging these as the war's most difficult fronts right now.
- Elon Musk joined a Trump-Zelenskyy phone call uninvited, speaking directly with Ukraine's president for 25 minutes — a jarring preview of how informal power may shape American foreign policy under the incoming administration.
- Viktor Orbán predicted Trump will cut military support to Ukraine, while Kyiv's frustration with Britain's refusal to supply more Storm Shadow missiles signals that the coalition holding Ukraine up is straining at multiple seams.
- A rare face-to-face meeting between Russian and Ukrainian ombudspersons in Belarus, combined with the return of 563 Ukrainian soldiers' bodies, suggests thin but real threads of communication still exist beneath the violence.
- Two Russian soldiers were sentenced to life in prison for massacring a nine-person family including two children — while in Russia, a 68-year-old pediatrician faced six years in prison for quietly criticizing the war during a medical appointment.
On day 990 of the war, Russian forces entered the village of Sontsivka and continued pressing toward Kurakhove, a strategically significant city on the eastern front. Ukrainian officials offered no confirmation of the village's loss, but Zelenskyy acknowledged in his nightly address that both the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk directions — the latter a critical logistics hub — represented the war's hardest fighting. His command, he said, was working to reinforce both areas.
The battlefield pressure was matched by a deepening geopolitical unease. Elon Musk appeared unexpectedly on a phone call between Donald Trump and Zelenskyy, speaking directly with Ukraine's president for roughly 25 minutes. Zelenskyy thanked him for Starlink, and Musk pledged to continue the service — but the episode raised uncomfortable questions about the undefined role a private citizen might play in shaping American policy toward the war once Trump takes office in January.
Hungary's Viktor Orbán sharpened those concerns by predicting that the incoming Trump administration would halt military aid to Ukraine entirely. His remarks came ahead of a European summit in Budapest, and carried particular weight given his proximity to both Trump and Putin. Separately, Ukraine's relationship with Britain had grown visibly strained since Labour took power in July. Kyiv officials told the Guardian they were frustrated by London's refusal to supply additional Storm Shadow missiles, and made clear that a visit from Prime Minister Starmer without a weapons commitment would be meaningless — one senior official said there was no point in him coming "as a tourist."
Amid the tensions, small diplomatic openings appeared. Russian and Ukrainian ombudspersons met in Belarus — a rare direct encounter — to discuss prisoners of war. The Biden administration also announced that American defense contractors would be permitted to enter Ukraine to maintain and repair US-supplied weapons, a modest but meaningful expansion of involvement. NATO and a coalition of Indo-Pacific allies jointly condemned the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia as a dangerous escalation with global implications.
The human cost of the war continued to register in stark terms. Two Russian soldiers were sentenced to life in prison for the massacre of a nine-person family, including children aged five and nine, in occupied Volnovakha. Ukraine received the bodies of 563 soldiers from Russian authorities — one of the largest such repatriations since the war began. And in Russia, a 68-year-old pediatrician faced a six-year prison sentence for words spoken quietly during a medical appointment, reported to authorities by the ex-wife of a soldier lost in the fighting. The case was a reminder that in Russia, even private dissent had become a prosecutable act.
On day 990 of the war, Russian forces were tightening their grip on the eastern front. Military bloggers reported Friday that Russian troops had entered the village of Sontsivka and were pushing toward Kurakhove, a strategic city that sits in their path as they drive westward to consolidate control of the Donbas region. Ukrainian officials neither confirmed nor denied the loss of Sontsivka, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged in his nightly address that the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk directions represented the most difficult fighting at present. His military command, he said, was working to strengthen positions in both areas—Pokrovsk being a major logistics hub to the northwest.
The military situation, however, was no longer the only pressure point. In a development that crystallized the shifting geopolitical landscape, Elon Musk appeared unexpectedly on a phone call between Donald Trump and Zelenskyy, according to reporting by Axios. Musk was on the line for roughly 25 minutes, and Trump handed him the phone so he and Zelenskyy could speak directly. Zelenskyy thanked Musk for the Starlink satellites his company had been providing to Ukraine, and Musk committed to continuing that service. The moment underscored something larger: as the Trump administration prepares to take office in January, Musk has positioned himself as perhaps the most influential civilian in American politics—and his role in shaping Ukraine policy remains undefined and unsettling to many.
That uncertainty was amplified by comments from Hungary's Viktor Orbán, who predicted that Trump's incoming administration would stop providing military support to Ukraine. Orbán, who maintains close ties to both Trump and Vladimir Putin, made the remarks ahead of a European leaders' summit in Budapest where the war would dominate discussion. His words suggested that Trump's election could fracture the fragile consensus among European allies on sustaining Ukraine's defense.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's relationship with Britain had deteriorated noticeably since the Labour government took power in July. Officials in Kyiv told the Guardian they were frustrated by Britain's refusal to supply additional long-range Storm Shadow missiles. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had not visited Ukraine in his four months in office, and Kyiv made clear that a visit without a commitment to replenish missile stocks would be pointless—a senior figure in Zelenskyy's administration said there was no value in Starmer coming "as a tourist." The message was blunt: words without weapons were not enough.
On the diplomatic front, there were small openings. Russia's human rights ombudswoman, Tatyana Moskalkova, and Ukraine's ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, met in Belarus on Friday in a rare direct encounter between officials from the warring countries. They discussed prisoners of war and future interactions, suggesting that even amid the grinding military conflict, some channels of communication remained open.
The Biden administration, for its part, announced a policy shift: American defense contractors would now be permitted to work inside Ukraine to maintain and repair Pentagon-supplied weapons. Previously, Ukraine had been forced to move damaged equipment out of the country for heavy repairs or improvise solutions through video calls and other workarounds. The contractors would be small in number and stationed far from the fighting, with no combat role. It was a modest but meaningful expansion of American involvement.
NATO members, in a joint statement, condemned the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia as a "dangerous expansion" of the country's military support for the war. The alliance's 32 members, along with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Ukraine, warned that deepening Russian-North Korean military cooperation threatened Euro-Atlantic security and had implications for the Indo-Pacific as well.
The human toll continued to accumulate. A Russian military court sentenced two soldiers, Anton Sopov and Stanislav Rau, to life in prison for the massacre of nine members of the Kapkanets family in the occupied city of Volnovakha in October 2023. The victims included two children, ages five and nine. The court found them guilty of mass murder motivated by political, ideological, racial, national, or religious hatred. On the same day, Ukraine announced it had received the bodies of 563 soldiers from Russian authorities, mostly troops killed in combat in the eastern Donetsk region—one of the largest repatriations of dead servicemen since the war began.
Back in Russia itself, the machinery of repression continued to turn. Prosecutors demanded a six-year prison sentence for Nadezhda Buyanova, a 68-year-old pediatrician accused of criticizing the Ukraine campaign during a private medical appointment. She had been arrested in February and held in pre-trial detention since April, reported to police by the ex-wife of a soldier missing after fighting in Ukraine, who claimed Buyanova had called the man a "legal target of Ukraine." The case illustrated the extent to which dissent—even whispered in a doctor's office—had become dangerous in Russia.
Notable Quotes
The Kurakhove direction and the Pokrovsk direction are the most challenging right now. The military command and brigade command are working on strengthening positions.— President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
There's no point in his coming as a tourist.— Senior figure in Zelenskyy's administration, on British PM Keir Starmer's potential visit
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What does it mean that Musk was on that call with Trump and Zelenskyy? Why does it matter that he was there?
It signals that Musk has become a direct channel between the incoming U.S. administration and Ukraine. He's not a diplomat or a government official, but he's now sitting in on conversations that shape military aid. That's a new kind of power.
And Orbán saying Trump will stop supporting Ukraine—is that just one man's opinion, or should we take it seriously?
Orbán is close to both Trump and Putin. When he says this publicly before a European summit, he's not speculating idly. He's signaling what he believes is coming, and he's trying to prepare European leaders for a shift in American policy.
The UK relationship getting worse—what's the actual problem there?
Kyiv needs long-range missiles to strike Russian targets. The UK has them but won't send more. Starmer hasn't even visited Ukraine. So when Kyiv says a visit would be worthless without a commitment to missiles, they're saying: we need weapons, not photo ops.
Why would Russia allow its own soldiers to be tried and sentenced to life for killing a family?
It's a signal. Russia can point to the trial and say it holds its own accountable, that it respects law. But it also keeps the narrative controlled—the trial happens in a Russian court, on Russian terms, and the soldiers are already in Russian custody.
What does the meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian human rights officials suggest?
That even in total war, some people are trying to keep channels open. Prisoners of war matter to both sides. These officials meeting in Belarus, talking about POWs—it's a small thing, but it suggests that not everything is frozen.
The American contractors being allowed in Ukraine now—is that a big deal?
It's significant because it means the U.S. is deepening its practical involvement. Before, Ukraine had to improvise. Now American technicians can be there, maintaining weapons. It's a step closer to direct American participation in the war effort.