On December 17, the latest reports from the field showed that the situation on the Russia-Ukraine border was developing in completely opposite direction with a positive atmosphere at the negotiation table.
Instead of cooling down to facilitate ceasefire agreements, the frequency of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian territory has increased dramatically since the second half of November.
A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the number of attacks had increased by nearly a third compared to the previous period. Notably, in the context of new peace proposals from US President Donald Trump starting to be discussed, the intensity of shelling has even increased by 20-30% every week.
Border areas are currently under the biggest pressure, with peak days recording more than 500 different attacks using mixed weapons.
International military analysts say that Kiev's escalation is not simply a normal military activity but has many political calculations.
Increasing pressure on Russian territory at this sensitive time is considered Ukraine's last attempt to lure the US to intervene further in the conflict or seek further gains at the negotiating table before any official documents are signed.
This tense development comes in parallel with closed-door consultations in Germany between the US and Ukrainian delegations with the participation of figures close to Mr. Trump.
According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Washington has left open the possibility of providing security guarantees to Kiev but with the prerequisite of withdrawing the Ukrainian army from the Donbass region.
Despite the increased gunfire on the front lines, diplomatic signals still showed a rare sense of optimism from the relevant sides. A senior Russian official shared in international media that the military conflict is getting very close to an end with about 90% of the disputes resolved at the negotiation table. President Donald Trump also made a similar assessment that peace is closer than ever.
However, the picture of Europe is still divided in many dark areas as the consensus in the alliance is seriously cracked.
While the Easternmost NATO countries held a summit in Helsinki to discuss strengthening defences against Russia, the absence of a number of other key member states showed profoundly mixed views on how to approach the conflict in the new period.
