Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a message for the hundreds of millions expected to watch the World Cup final Sunday: “There are no champions in war. There can be no draw.” Zelensky said he wanted FIFA to broadcast a video clip of him calling for peace ahead of the big match between Argentina and France in Qatar. In the clip, which did not run before the game’s start, Zelensky in English congratulated the world for soccer matches competing on “the green playing field and not on the red battlefield.”
Also this weekend, Zelensky renewed his appeal to Western leaders to provide Ukraine with a “reliable air defense shield” after a barrage of Russian missile strikes. Zelensky said that when Ukraine’s skies are protected, “the main form of Russian terror — missile terror — will become simply impossible.”
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
4. From our correspondents
The situation is made even more stark as they prepare to celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, in intermittent darkness because of blackouts caused by Russia’s barrage of airstrikes, write Jeff Stein and John Hudson.
Michael Brodsky, the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, acknowledged the frustration of some Ukrainian Jews but stressed that Israel’s security ties to Russia create limits that cannot be overcome. The Kremlin allows Israeli aircraft to target Iranian arms shipments over Russian-controlled airspace in Syria, which Israel regards as critical to its national defense.
“No government in Israel is going to jeopardize this interest for anybody else, including the Ukrainians,” Brodsky said in an interview. Unlike the United States and Europe, Brodsky pointed out, Israel is not part of NATO. “Our situation is much more fragile.”
