Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Paris, November 17, 2025 (Sarah Meyssonnier/AFP)

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Russia Wobbles Over Its Invasion of Ukraine

Monday’s Coverage: 3+ Murdered in Russian Attacks on Odesa and Kharkiv

UPDATE 1032 GMT:

After two sets of Ukraine-Russia-US talks, Moscow is continuing to reject an end to its invasion.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko demanded that, despite Moscow’s aggression, it should be the one receiving security guarantees.

“We recognize that a peaceful settlement in Ukraine must take into account Ukraine’s security interests, but the key importance, of course, is Russia’s security interests,” Grushko said on Tuesday.

He sniped:

If you look carefully at all the statements made by the leaders of the European Union, no one talks about guarantees for Russia’s security.

This is a key element of reaching an agreement. Without it, no peace treaty is possible.

The Minister explained that the “guarantees” include a prohibition on Ukraine joining NATO and on foreign troops on Ukrainian territory.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pushed back against Trump Administration claims of progress, declaring there was “some kind of enthusiastic perception of what is happening” that should not be embraced.

“Negotiations are continuing… there is still a long way to go,” he said.

Lavrov complained on Monday that the Trump camp is “backtracking” on supposed agreements at a Putin-Trump summit in Alaska in August, including over joint US-Russian economic projects.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine and France have agreed to start joint weapons production.

Ukraine Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov annnounced the agreement on Monday after hosting his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin in Kyiv. The two signed a letter of intent for “large-scale joint projects in the defense-industrial sector”.

“We are moving from supplies to joint production and long-term solutions that systematically strengthen our defencs,” he posted.

The agreement did not specify what arms will be produced or will manufacturing would start.

Fedorov and Vautrin also discussed new shipments of French weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, including Aster missiles, Mirage 2000 fighter jets, and SAMP-T air defense systems.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Kyiv will open 10 weapons export centers during 2026 in Europe, including in Baltic and Northern European countries. He added:

In mid-February, we will see the production of our drones in Germany. I will receive the first drone. This is a fully operational production line. In the UK, similar production lines are already running….

Today, Europe’s security is built on technology and drones. All of this will be based largely on Ukrainian technology and Ukrainian specialists.

In his nightly address to the nation on Monday, Zelensky added: