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Hungary vetoes aid package for Ukraine; Kremlin says EU accession for Ukraine ‘very remote prospect’See all our Ukraine coverageHungary’s president, Viktor Orbán, vetoed a €50bn EU aid package to Ukraine, just hours after Kyiv had celebrated the bloc taking the symbolic step of agreeing to open membership talks. Ukraine was counting on the funds to help its damaged economy survive in the coming year.The Kremlin said that Ukraine’s accession into the EU was a very remote prospect and Brussels’ initiatives on that were just an expression of political support for Kyiv. Neither Ukraine nor Moldova, another former Soviet republic seeking accession, match EU’s strict criteria and letting Kyiv in could destabilise the bloc, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a briefing.Russia launched 14 drones at Ukraine overnight, all of which were shot down, the Ukrainian air force wrote on Telegram on Friday morning.Japan has unveiled new sanctions on Russia, Belarus and organisations in the UAE, Armenia, Syria and Uzkekistan, over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. In total, Japan has now applied export bans on 494 Russian organisations and 27 Belarusian.The EU has decided to open membership negotiations with Ukraine, in an unexpected move that will be a critical boost to Volodymyr Zelenskiy and deal a blow to Vladimir Putin. The announcement, made on Thursday after eight hours of tense negotiations in Brussels, came despite the opposition of Hungary, whose prime minister, Viktor Orbán, had for weeks said it would veto any opening of accession talks.After hours of talks, Orbán walked out the room as leaders formally made the decision to open accession talks – thus getting unanimity. The Hungarian prime minister said: “Hungary does not want to share in this bad decision, and for this reason Hungary did not participate in the decision today.”Zelenskiy said: “This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens.”Putin held his annual end-of-the-year press conference for the first time since launching the invasion, saying “there will only be peace in Ukraine when we achieve our aims”, seeking to project confidence in his war machine.Putin also said he was open to repairing relations with Europe and the US but added that Russia had done nothing wrong in its invasion of Ukraine. He blamed the west for “spoiling relations” with Russia.The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested in Russia on espionage charges, lost an appeal on Thursday to be released from jail and must remain in custody until at least 30 January.The Guardian visited Avdiivka. After almost a decade on the frontline, the city is a wreck, with just 1,200 people left, but it remains of huge symbolic value. Continue reading...