People's Deputy Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported that the new head of the Presidential Office may be announced today, following the resignation of Andriy Yermak a week ago. President Zelenskyy previously held meetings with candidates for the position.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported 167 combat engagements over the past day, with 52 enemy attacks repelled in the Pokrovsk direction. The enemy launched 61 air strikes and carried out 6,664 shelling attacks.
US President's special representative Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner met with Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov in Miami. The meeting took place at the request of Witkoff and Kushner, who are Florida residents.
The National Bank of Ukraine set the official dollar exchange rate for December 5 at 42. 18 hryvnias. The official euro exchange rate is 49.23 hryvnias, and the zloty is 11.63 hryvnias.
The Kremlin is offering a non-aggression pact on Odesa and Mykolaiv as a "concession" in negotiations, even though Russian forces are unable to capture them. Statements by the deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma's defense committee indicate attempts to influence peace talks.
The UK government plans to transfer £8 billion of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. These funds could cover more than two-thirds of Ukraine's financial needs for the next two years.
On December 4, Russian troops suffered significant losses: 1240 soldiers, 424 UAVs, and 1 aircraft. The total combat losses of the enemy since 24.02.22 reached 1,178,610 liquidated personnel.
On December 5, it will be relatively warm and without precipitation in Ukraine, with air temperatures ranging from 3-8°C. In the western and Vinnytsia regions, wind gusts will reach 15-20 m/s in places.
Donald Trump stated that the war in Ukraine will eventually end. The US is working hard on this, "establishing peace around the world, settling wars at levels no one has seen before."
The Institute for the Study of War assesses that Putin is trying to conceal his initial war goals, limiting them to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Kremlin also rejected a US peace proposal without disclosing details.
US Vice President J. D. Vance said that the failure to establish peace in Ukraine is his biggest disappointment in office. He noted that "this Russian-Ukrainian affair" has been a source of constant frustration for the entire White House, but "there is hope."
Ukraine faces the threat of demographic collapse due to war, population losses, and declining birth rates. It is estimated that by 2051, the population will shrink to 25 million, whereas before the full-scale invasion, it was 42 million.
The "Phoenix" evacuation group of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine evacuated two residents from the city of Druzhkivka, Donetsk region. The situation in the region remains tense due to daily Russian attacks.
On December 4, the UNESCO Committee supported Ukraine's initiative, adding 19 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites to the International List under enhanced protection. The total number of Ukrainian sites on this list has increased to 46.
Fakes about "dangerous Ukrainian food" are spreading on the Polish segment of Facebook, calling for a boycott of products with code 482. The Center for Countering Disinformation notes that this is part of an anti-Ukrainian campaign aimed at undermining trust between nations.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine advises buying live holiday trees only at official fairs. All legally harvested trees have special tags with a barcode that can be checked online.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever will hold talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Belgium expresses concerns about legal aspects and potential risks for its taxpayers.
Ukraine's reserves reached $54. 7 billion as of December 1, increasing by 10.6% in November. The growth was driven by receipts from partners, which offset the NBU's net sale of foreign currency and debt payments.
Ukrainian representatives will continue talks in the US with President Trump's team. The task is to get full information about what was said in Russia and what other pretexts Putin found to prolong the war.
President Zelenskyy met with candidates for the position of the new Head of the Presidential Office. A decision on the new head of the Office will be made soon.
Envoys of US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian negotiators for the third time in two weeks to discuss a peace plan, while the Trump administration eased economic pressure on Russia. The US Treasury Department partially suspended sanctions against Lukoil gas stations outside Russia until April 29.
EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius stated that the European Union must develop its own peace plan for Ukraine, without relying on US initiatives. This is due to the fact that Europe was "caught off guard" by a 28-point peace plan developed by American Trump negotiators together with the Russians without the participation of the EU.
A Belarusian factory that produces tableware has been supplying drones to Russia for several years, bypassing European sanctions.
Nikita Sheremet set a world junior record and updated the adult record of Ukraine at the European Championships in Lublin. This happened during the men's 4x50m freestyle relay.
President Zelenskyy held a phone conversation with President of the European Council António Costa, discussing the negotiation track and the planned meetings of the Ukrainian team with the American side. Ukraine expects meaningful work to achieve a lasting peace.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned representatives of the diplomatic missions of Russia and Ukraine due to attacks on ships in the Black Sea. The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Fuat Oktay, stated that the spread of the war to civilian shipping is a cause for concern.
A Vatican research commission has decided not to ordain women as deacons, disappointing Catholic women. Instead, it has been proposed to create new lay ministries for women outside of the ordained diaconate.
On December 5, hourly power outages will be in effect throughout Ukraine for household and industrial consumers. The restrictions will last from 00:00 to 23:59 due to the consequences of Russian attacks.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that Russia and 11 other countries opposed the return of Ukrainian children, despite the adoption of a UN resolution. Only 1,850 children have been returned home after forced deportation.
The National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission plans to consider increasing the tariff of NEC "Ukrenergo" for electricity transmission. The increase will be 14.6% for most users, and 19.2% for enterprises of "green" electrometallurgy.
