Explaining: Cost of independence, Zelensky–Trump meeting, fall of Assad regime

THE COST OF INDEPENDENCE

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported the number of losses suffered by Ukraine's Defense Forces since the start of the full-scale invasion.

● Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression, Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers, with an additional 370,000 wounded.

● Statistics show that approximately 50% of wounded Ukrainian fighters return to duty thanks to the efforts of frontline medics.

● The cumulative losses of the occupying army significant exceed those of Ukraine's Defense Forces, largely due to the "meat-grinder assaults" tactics employed by Russian generals.

● The notion of Russia's "inexhaustible human resources" is as much a propaganda myth as the idea of the "invincible world’s second-strongest army."

ZELENSKY AND TRUMP MEETING

On December 7, President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

● Zelensky noted Trump's resolute attitude and stated that all participants in the meeting seek to end the war as quickly and fairly as possible.

● Trump's principle of "peace through strength" aligns with the foundations of the Victory Plan presented by Zelensky.

● Kyiv emphasizes that Moscow can be compelled to engage in honest diplomacy from a position of strength, not through concessions that only fuel the aggressor's appetite.

● Ukraine seeks peace, but a ceasefire is only possible with effective guarantees for Ukraine from the international community.

● Pushing Ukraine toward "compromises" with the aggressor will not lead to peace but will give Russia an opportunity to prepare for renewed aggression and a new escalation.

THE FALL OF THE ASSAD REGIME

On December 8, the regime led by the Assad clan for more than half a century in Syria collapsed entirely.

● The corrupt Assad clan disregarded the interests of the Syrian people, extensively employing repression to retain power.

● For years, Moscow provided military and political support to Bashar al-Assad's regime, using it to expand its destructive influence in the Middle East

● Russia's intervention in Syria, which began in 2015 to support Assad's regime, was accompanied by war crimes against civilians, including the bombing of residential areas, hospitals, and schools.

● In exchange for its support, Moscow pushed the Assad regime to recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea as well as the temporary occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

● The fall of the Assad regime marks another international defeat for Putin, significantly weakening Russia's position in the Middle East.

● The panicked retreat of pro-Assad forces and the regime's rapid collapse confirm that dictatorships lack genuine support from broad segments of the population, regardless of the election figures they "paint". Ultimately, dictatorships are doomed to fall sooner or later