Ukrainian President to Meet with E3 Leaders in London + US Envoy Kellogg Says Deal Close; Sticking Points include Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant + Hamas Ready to Discuss "Freezing or Storing" Weapons

For review:

1. Ukrainian President to Meet with E3 Leaders in London to discuss last week's US Negotiations (Miami).

2. US Envoy Kellogg Says Deal Close; Sticking Points include Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant.

3. The Russian and Chinese militaries conducted joint anti-missile drills in on Russian territory in early December as part of scheduled military exercises, China's Defense Ministry said on Dec. 6.

These drills followed joint artillery and anti-submarine exercises that were conducted in the Sea of Japan in August.

4. Hamas is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons as part of its ceasefire with Israel, a senior official says, offering a possible formula to resolve one of the thorniest issues in the US-brokered agreement.

5. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza is “almost” complete, and that he expects to move on to its second phase soon.

6. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani suggested Sunday that his country will not foot the bill for rebuilding Gaza, despite speculation that it would be the main backer of reconstruction.

“We are not the ones who are going to write the check to rebuild what others destroyed,” Al Thani said during an onstage interview at the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference. 

7. During a visit to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that the Yellow Line, demarcating where the Israeli military withdrew to under the terms of the ongoing ceasefire, is “a new border line.”

“We will not allow Hamas to reestablish itself. We control large parts of the Gaza Strip and stand along [strategic] lines. The Yellow Line is a new border line, a forward defensive line for the communities and an offensive line.”

8. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for stepped-up military recruitment after the United States deployed a fleet of warships and the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean. 

9. President Javier Milei on Saturday hailed the arrival of Argentina’s first six F-16 jets purchased from Denmark, describing them as “guardian angels” that will strengthen the South American country’s armed forces.

The US-built aircraft are among the 24 fighters bought last year from Copenhagen for roughly $300 million.