Bloomberg sources have reported that one of Russia's primary conditions for negotiating an end to its war against Ukraine is ensuring that Ukraine is permanently excluded from NATO membership. Source: European Pravda,

Russia will demand Ukraine drastically cut back military ties with the NATO alliance and become a neutral state with a limited army in any talks with Trump.

British wartime leader Winston Churchill once said he was an optimist, as there was no point being anything else. The year ahead in Ukraine has given rise to wild, perhaps wilful, positivity from Kyiv and – publicly at least – in parts of NATO that the incoming Trump White House can effect meaningful,