First German-Ukrainian drone factory to be opened
A German-Ukrainian joint venture is set to establish Europe’s first industrial-scale droneproduction line for Ukraine.
According to a statement by the two companies involved, Quantum Systems and Frontline Robotics, all drones produced in the factory will be delivered to Ukraine’s military.
“The production line will combine Ukrainian battlefield-proven technology with German industrial automation,” the statement reads, also calling it a “major step” towards a European drone base “driven by Ukrainian frontline innovation and German engineering.”
The drone factory’s location will not be disclosed for security reasons.
Ukraine is known to be a world leader in drone technologies due to its experience in the war with Russia.
Peace in Ukraine ‘closer than ever’, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said an agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine is “closer now than we have ever been.”
Speaking after having “very long and very good talks” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as several European leaders, Trump told reporters that Europe is providing “tremendous support” to achieving peace between the two countries.
According to Trump, European leaders want to “get it ended,” adding he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin several times.
European leaders propose force to enforce Ukraine peace deal
European leaders have proposed a European-led multinational force, with US support, to help enforce a potential peace agreement in Ukraine.
In a joint statement issued after talks in Berlin, they said the force would form part of robust security guarantees designed to prevent Russia from violating any deal to end the war.
The statement was released as European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the German capital.
They said any decisions on possible territorial concessions could only be taken by the people of Ukraine and only once strong security guarantees are in place.
According to the statement, the proposed force would be made up of contributions from willing nations.
Its tasks would include helping “in securing Ukraine’s skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine,” according to the statement.
The leaders also agreed Ukraine’s military should continue receiving extensive support and retain a peacetime strength of about 800,000 troops. They said peace would be upheld through a US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism to identify violations and provide early warning of any future attack.
The leaders said the guarantees would be backed by both European countries and the United States.
Participating in talks on Monday evening along with Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The statement was signed by the leaders of Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden, as well as the heads of the European Council and the European Commission.
MI6 chief says Putin dragging out negotiations
Britain’s new MI6 chief has said Russia is deliberately prolonging negotiations over Ukraine while shifting the cost of the war onto its own population.
Speaking on Monday, Blaise Metreweli said Russian President Vladimir Putin “is dragging out negotiations and shifting the cost of war onto his own population.”
She warned that Moscow was intensifying pressure below the threshold of open conflict.
“Russia is testing us in the grey zone with tactics that are just below the threshold of war,” Metreweli said.
She pointed to what she described as efforts to “bully, fearmonger and manipulate” through cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, drones flying near European airports, aggressive activity at sea, and state-sponsored arson.
“Across the globe, we are now confronting not one single danger, but an interlocking web of security challenges — military, technological, social, ethical even — each shaping the other in complex ways,” she said.
Metreweli said Russia had pushed the world into an era of instability. “We are now operating in a space between peace and war,” she said, adding that Russia had propelled the world into an “age of uncertainty.”
She warned that Moscow’s behavior was deliberate and likely to persist. “The export of chaos is a feature, not a bug, in this Russian approach to international engagement, and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus,” she added.
In a separate address on Monday evening, the new head of Britain’s armed forces warned that “more” Britons will need to be ready to fight for their country due to an increasingly dangerous world.
Richard Knighton, chief of the defence staff since September, called for “national resilience” in his speech at the Royal United Services Institute
Ukraine talks continue in Berlin after press conference
Talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine are continuing in Berlin and have not concluded with the joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Afterwards, both men are set to attend a dinner with several European leaders.
Participants include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine and US differ on territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv and Washington remain divided over territorial issues after two days of talks in Berlin on ending Russia’s war.
Speaking to reporters after the talks in Berlin, Zelenskyy said, “There has been sufficient dialogue on the territory, and I think that, frankly speaking, we still have different positions, but I believe that my colleagues have heard my personal position.”
He said the issue of territory remains painful but added he believes the United States will help Ukraine find a compromise. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for fair work toward a strong peace agreement and that talks with US counterparts will continue.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the US has suggested security guarantees for Ukraine that are similar to NATO’s collective defense pledge. pic.twitter.com/8RYc3ygyYN
— DW Politics (@dw_politics) December 15, 2025
Zelenskyy also said the United States is not making its own territorial demands on Ukraine. He said the US delegation had conveyed Russian demands and he stressed that Ukraine needs clear security guarantees before any decisions are made about front lines.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said negotiations with the US delegation would continue and repeated that while positions differ on territory, Ukraine remains committed to achieving a fair and lasting peace deal.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/whats-happening-in-ukraine-war-monday-december-15/live-75156499
