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Zelenskyy ‘ready for elections’ after Trump questions Ukrainian democracy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to hold a wartime election within the next three months, if Ukraine’s parliament and foreign allies will allow it, after Donald Trump accused him of clinging on to power. Zelenskyy, clearly irritated by Trump’s intervention, said that “this is a question for the people of Ukraine, not people from other states, with all due respect to our partners”. However, he promised to explore avenues for holding a vote in the coming months. “Since this question is raised today by the president of the United States of America, our partners, I will answer very briefly: look, I am ready for elections,” Zelenskyy said on Tuesday evening. “Moreover, I am asking … the United States to help me, possibly together with European colleagues, to ensure security for the elections, and then in the next 60 to 90 days Ukraine will be ready to hold the elections. I personally have the will and readiness for this,” he added. Trump made the comments in a rambling interview with Politico published earlier on Tuesday. “They haven’t had an election in a long time,” said the US president. “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy any more.” Zelenskyy’s five-year term expired in May last year, but the Ukrainian constitution prohibits elections in wartime, and even his political opponents have said repeatedly that the security and political considerations do not allow for holding an election during wartime. “It would only cause harm,” said Serhiy Rakhmanin, an MP from the opposition Holos party. “He’s the commander-in-chief, and the country is in a position where we don’t have that luxury, whatever issues we might have with him. It would only help the enemy,” he added. Zelenskyy said the two key questions to solve would be the logistical one of how soldiers, the millions of displaced people, and those living under occupation would be able to vote, and secondly, how to hold elections legally, given martial law is in effect. He asked for advice from allies regarding securing the elections, and from MPs on how to amend the law to allow for elections. “I am waiting for proposals from partners, I am waiting for proposals from our MPs, and I am ready to go to the elections,” said Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy was speaking while returning to Ukraine after a diplomatic tour of European capitals that has come as the White House has increased pressure on Kyiv to sign up to a peace deal. Over the weekend, Trump’s son Donald Jr said at a conference in Doha that Zelenskyy was prolonging the war because he was worried he would otherwise lose power. He also suggested Trump might “walk away” from Ukraine if the war does not end soon. “It’s not correct. But it’s not exactly wrong,” said Trump, when asked about his son’s claim. The US has indicated that Ukraine should give up the Donbas region to achieve peace, a move which would be highly unpopular in Ukraine. There is also no sign that Russia is ready to agree to a deal, even one which would appear to be beneficial to Moscow.

Honduras president alleges ‘electoral coup’ under way amid Trump ‘interference’

Honduras’s president, Xiomara Castro, has alleged that an “electoral coup” is under way in the country’s presidential election, which she says has been marked by “interference from the president of the United States, Donald Trump”. The leftist president also said that “the Honduran people must never accept elections marked by interference, manipulation and blackmail … Sovereignty is not negotiable, democracy is not surrendered.” Since Hondurans went to the polls on 30 November, the vote count has dragged on, with repeated interruptions and outages on the electoral council’s website. Two rightwing candidates have been neck and neck ever since and, with 99.4% of tally sheets counted in the preliminary results, Nasry “Tito” Asfura is ahead with 40.52%, followed closely by Salvador Nasralla on 39.48% – a margin of only 42,000 votes. A construction magnate and former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, Asfura received open backing from Trump, who said the US would support the next government only if he won. On the eve of the vote, the US president also announced a pardon for the former president and Asfura ally Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for allegedly creating “a cocaine superhighway to the United States”. He was released last week. At a press conference on Tuesday, Honduras’s president “condemned” Trump’s “interference … when he threatened the Honduran people that if they voted for a brave and patriotic candidate of the Liberal party, Rixi Moncada, there would be consequences”. A former finance minister under Castro, Moncada was chosen by the president to run in her place, as Honduras’s constitution does not allow re-election. Before the vote, Trump had claimed Moncada was a communist and that her victory would hand the country to the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro – the target of an escalating US military buildup – “and his narco-terrorists”. Moncada is in third place in the preliminary count, with 19.29%. President Castro said that Trump’s statements “violated the most sacred principle of our constitution. Sovereignty resides in the people, exclusively in the Honduran people.” She also referred to Hernández’s release: “Conservatives in Washington have decided to ally themselves with drug trafficking and organised crime.” After a lengthy investigation that had key developments under Trump’s first administration, Hernández was convicted in the US last year. He governed Honduras from 2014 to 2022, and Manhattan prosecutors alleged that, under his government, the country served as a crucial transit point for cocaine entering the US from South American countries including Colombia and Venezuela. On Monday, the Honduran attorney general, Johel Zelaya – an ally of Castro’s government – ordered the immediate execution of an international arrest warrant for Hernández, whose whereabouts have been unknown since his release from a federal prison in West Virginia last week. Still speaking about the current elections, Honduras’s president said on Tuesday that the vote had been marked by “threats, coercion, manipulation of the TREP [the results transmission system] and the adulteration of the popular will”, although she presented no evidence. She added: “These actions constitute an ongoing electoral coup that we will denounce before the United Nations, the European Union, CELAC [Community of Latin American and Caribbean States], the OAS [Organisation of American States] and other international bodies.” The runner-up, Nasralla, claimed a “monumental fraud” was under way and demanded a recount “tally sheet by tally sheet”. Shortly afterwards, the president of the electoral council, Ana Paola Hall, said: “I cannot tamper with the results, neither to help nor to harm anyone – and you know something, even if I could, I still wouldn’t.” Despite Asfura’s lead in the preliminary count, roughly 14.5% of the tally sheets, containing thousands of votes, showed “inconsistencies” and must be reviewed. The electoral council has until 30 December to announce the official result.

Brigitte Macron criticised after using sexist slur against feminist protesters

French celebrities and politicians on the left have expressed outrage after Brigitte Macron was filmed using a derogatory and sexist slur to describe feminist protesters at a theatre show in Paris. A video filmed on Sunday showed France’s first lady in discussion backstage at the Folies Bergère theatre in Paris with Ary Abittan, a French actor and comedian previously accused of rape, before a performance he was about to give. The previous night, feminist campaigners had disrupted his show with shouts of: “Abittan, rapist!” Before Sunday’s performance, Macron asked him how he was feeling. When he said he was feeling scared, she referred to the protesters as “sales connes” (dirty or stupid bitches) and adding that if they reappeared, “we’ll toss them out”. Her office said in a statement that she had been trying to calm his nerves: “As the video shows, Mrs Macron’s only intention was to reassure an artist who, in his dressing room before going on stage, had just told her: ‘I’m scared’ because his show had been disrupted the previous evening. “In no way is she attacking a cause. She does, however, disapprove of the radical methods used to prevent an artist from performing on stage, as was the case on Saturday night.” The feminist campaign group Nous Toutes (“All of Us”) said its activists had disrupted Abittan’s show to protest against what it described as “the culture of impunity” around sexual violence in France. Magistrates terminated the investigation of the 2021 rape allegation against Abittan in 2024 due to lack of evidence, a decision confirmed on appeal in January this year, according to French media. In a statement on Instagram, Nous Toutes said: “We denounce venues that roll out a red carpet for men accused of rape, normalising sexist and sexual violence. It is a public insult to the victims. Victims, we believe you. Rapists, we do not forgive you!” Politicians on the left criticised the use of a sexist slur and some said Brigitte Macron should apologise. The former Socialist president François Hollande told RTL radio: “There’s a problem of vulgarity.” The Green leader, Marine Tondelier, said the comments were “extremely serious” and should not have been made by a first lady. Several celebrities voiced support for the feminist campaigners by adopting the insult for themselves with the hashtag #salesconnes. The actor and director Judith Godrèche, a leading voice in France’s #MeToo movement who has filed complaints against two film directors for sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, posted on social media: “Me too – I’m also a salle conne (dirty, stupid bitch) and I support all the others.” The singer and actor Camélia Jordana posted a picture of herself with #saleconne across her forehead. The Green senator Mélanie Vogel posted on social media: “And a very good day to all the stupid bitches of our country,” while the secretary general of the moderate CFDT trade union, Marylise Léon, said the comments were “inappropriate and crude”. On the French far right, however, the National Rally lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy said Brigitte Macron’s comments had been made in private. “If each of us were filmed backstage saying things with friends, I think there would be plenty to comment on,” he told the broadcaster BFMTV. “All of this is very hypocritical.”

Member of UK armed forces killed in ‘tragic accident’ in Ukraine, says MoD

A member of the UK armed forces died on Tuesday morning after an accident in Ukraine, believed to be the first time a serving member of the British military has been killed in the country since the full-scale Russian invasion. The victim was not immediately named, though the Ministry of Defence said their family had been notified, after an incident that appears to have taken place during a weapons test at a site away from the frontlines. A spokesperson for the MoD said: “It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the UK armed orces died in Ukraine this morning, Tuesday 9 December. “He was injured in a tragic accident whilst observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, away from the frontlines.” British military personnel are present in Ukraine in small numbers in support of the country’s armed forces, and to guard the British embassy, though their presence has been acknowledged only in limited and careful disclosures. There was no further detail on what had happened, other than to say that the fatal incident was not the result of hostile fire. The MoD said it would not be commenting further on Tuesday. The prime minister expressed his “deepest sympathy and condolences”. Keir Starmer said on X: “My deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of the member of our armed forces who sadly lost their life today. Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.” A Ukrainian memorial produced by the Kyiv war museum has counted that 40 Britons have died defending Ukraine, a higher number than previously thought. None are known to have been serving in the British military at the time of their death. Starmer has said the UK would be willing to deploy “boots on the ground and planes in the air” as part of a multinational peacekeeping mission in the event of a durable cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, but there is little immediate sign of Russia agreeing to a ceasefire. In a post on X, the defence secretary, John Healey, said: “Devastated by the death of a UK service person in Ukraine. My thoughts are with their family, friends and colleagues as they grieve for a loved one. Our hearts go out to them.” The shadow defence secretary, James Cartlidge, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear the tragic news that a member of the UK armed forces died this morning in Ukraine. My sincere condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.”

US puts sanctions on network said to funnel Colombian mercenaries to Sudan

The United States has sanctioned four people and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group accused by Washington of committing genocide. Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US treasury said the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies. Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has committed horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions. The Colombians’ involvement first emerged last year, when an investigation by the Bogotá-based outlet La Silla Vacía found that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to fight – prompting an unprecedented apology by Colombia’s foreign ministry. Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from the country’s decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training. In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. One of the mercenaries told the Guardian and La Silla Vacía in October that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in the siege of the city of El Fasher. He said training the children was “awful and crazy” but added that “unfortunately that’s how war is”. Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The treasury accused him of playing a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned. Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the treasury said managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network that hired the Colombian fighters. “In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars,” the treasury statement said. Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of carrying out wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses. “The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents,” the treasury said in a statement. Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a “very significant” milestone, saying that “calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go”. She added that Colombia also recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy. Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that “sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism”. “It’s an illicit economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof,” he said. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. “Expect more Colombian mercenaries,” McFate warned.

Martin Collins obituary

My friend Martin Collins, who has died aged 75 from complications brought on by dementia, was a human rights activist and political organiser with a particular focus on Ireland. Around 1994 he began working in parliament for Kevin McNamara MP, organising the Agreed Ireland Forum, which sought support for the Good Friday agreement across the parties in Westminster. Among his papers is a handwritten note from the Northern Ireland secretary at the time, Mo Mowlam: “I know […] that you are working to build a broader base for the friends of GFA – Good luck with that and with all you are doing to underline the importance of bipartisanship toward N Ireland at Westminster. Keep up the good work and thanks again, love Mo.” Born in Bristol, Martin was the son of Robert, who worked for British Aerospace, and Margaret (nee Feasey). He went to Bristol grammar school, where he did not thrive, but after resitting his A-levels went to the University of East Anglia to study politics, sociology and philosophy. Martin joined the Labour party in the late 1970s, although he had already been politically active in the International Marxist Group, CND, trade unions and the Troops Out Movement while doing various factory jobs. But it was the hunger strikes in Northern Ireland of the early 80s that really focused his attention. He co-organised the Labour Committee on Ireland in 1982, editing the magazine Labour and Ireland. In 1985 he edited the book Ireland After Britain with contributions from, among others, Gerry Adams, Mary Robinson and Tony Benn. And in 1987 he became the campaign director of the Time to Go! movement, which led into his work on miscarriages of justice, including working on the case of the Guildford Four with Gareth Peirce. By the 90s he was director at the Britain and Ireland Human Rights Project, and launched a human rights journal, Rapporteur. The landmark Good Friday agreement was achieved in 1998. As the millennium turned, Martin became a director for the Irish Traveller Movement and later worked for Chris Ruane MP in his role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the Irish in Britain. He also became involved in the campaign for justice over British army deaths in barracks such as Deepcut, eventually helping around 40 bereaved families in their fight for truth. Around this time he met Ginnie Lawlor from the Irish Youth Foundation, and they settled into life together in Ginnie’s house in Hampstead, north London. I first met Martin in the mid-80s as a friend of my wife. He was an inspirational, relentless, intelligent, entertaining and loyal friend and comrade. Ginnie and his brother Simon survive him.

More than 9,000 children in Gaza hospitalised for acute malnutrition in October, UN says

Malnutrition continues to take a toll among Gaza’s young despite a ceasefire declared two months ago, with more than 9,000 children hospitalised for acute malnutrition in October alone, according to the latest UN figures. While the immediate threat of famine has receded for most of the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza after the ceasefire announcement on 10 October, the UN and other aid agencies report continuing Israeli restrictions on their humanitarian aid shipments, which they say fall well below the needs of a population weakened and traumatised by two years of war, homelessness and living in flimsy shelters. Tess Ingram, a spokesperson for the UN child protection agency Unicef, said: “In Gaza’s hospitals I have met several newborns who weighed less than one kilogramme, their tiny chests heaving with the effort of staying alive.” According to Unicef figures, 9,300 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition in October. That is significantly less than the peak of 14,000 children in August, but much more than the child malnutrition rate during the previous ceasefire in February and March of this year. “It’s still a shockingly high number,” Ingram said, briefing journalists by video from Gaza. In October, about 8,300 pregnant and breastfeeding women were also hospitalised for acute malnutrition. “This pattern is a grave warning and it will likely result in low birthweight babies being born in the Gaza Strip for months to come,” Ingram added. “This is not over. Generations of families, including those being born now into this ceasefire, have been forever altered by what was inflicted upon them.” Unicef and other UN agencies say that aid deliveries crossing into Gaza have increased since the height of the war, but are still completely inadequate in relation to the humanitarian needs. An average of 140 aid trucks a day have crossed so far in December, in convoys organised by the UN and the International Organisation for Migration. That is well below the target of 600 trucks a day set as part of the ceasefire. Those figures do not include bilateral aid donations and commercial shipments, which have increased more sharply than UN-coordinated deliveries under the ceasefire. They have brought down market prices for many commodities, but they remain beyond the reach of the overwhelming majority of people in Gaza who have had no income for more than two years and who have depleted their savings. Since the ceasefire, aid has been coordinated through a multinational hub called the Civil-Military Coordination Centre led by the US and Israel and involving representatives of other countries supporting the ceasefire. However, diplomats and aid officials say that the Israeli army still has the final say in what is allowed in to Gaza. The UN reported that out of eight humanitarian convoys coordinated with Israeli authorities on Sunday, only four had been facilitated.

Ukraine and Europe will be ready to present ‘refined’ peace plan to US ‘in near future’, Zelenskyy says – as it happened

… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today! Donald Trump has hinted he could walk away from supporting Ukraine as he doubled down on his administration’s recent criticism of Europe, describing it as “weak” and “decaying” and claiming it was “destroying itself” through immigration (12:36, 12:44,) Trump also said that there was “no question” that Russia was in a stronger negotiating position in talks over ending the Ukraine war (13:11), saying Ukraine’s Zelenskyy will “have to get on the ball and start accepting things” (13:13). Trump also pointedly criticised EU leaders to “taking too much,” but “not producing,” as “the war just keeps going on” (13:17). His latest tirade – in an interview with Politico after named ‘the most powerful person shaping Europe’ – will make an already complicated relationship even more awkward (13:22). Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticised parts of US narrative in recent days, saying it was “unacceptable” from the European point of view (11:43), with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas (11:27, 11:53) and the European Council president António Costa (15:36) also expressing their frustration with the tone coming from Washington. In other news, 71-year-old controversial billionaire and Trump fan Andrej Babiš has been appointed the next Czech prime minister, two months on from the parliamentary election in October (9:49, 10:14, 10:27, 10:31). Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has continued his Europe tour meeting Pope Leo (10:53, 12:23) and Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni (9:57, 14:46, 16:40, 17:05) as he seeks to consolidate the European support for Ukraine. Lithuania has declared a state of emergency and asked parliament to authorise military support for police and border guards after a wave of smuggler balloons from Belarus repeatedly disrupted air traffic in recent months (13:57). And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

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