Live blog: Zelenskyy emphasises 'fight for freedom' during Argentina visit

1615 GMT — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the leaders of Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay during a trip to Buenos Aires to attend the inauguration of President Javier Milei.

"The support and strong united voice of Latin American countries that stand with the people of Ukraine in our fight for freedom and democracy is very important for us," Zelenskyy said on X, formerly Twitter, after the meetings.

Zelenskyy was in Buenos Aires for the swearing-in ceremony of Argentina's Javier Milei, an event that brought together many world leaders.

The Ukrainian leader praised Uruguay's participation in the third foreign advisors meeting on the implementation of Ukraine's formula for peace, and invited Ecuador and Paraguay to join.

All three South American countries had voted in favour of a February 2023 UN resolution calling to end the war in Ukraine.

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1628 GMT — Hungarian truckers to protest at Ukraine border crossing on Monday

Hungarian truckers plan to protest near Hungary's main border crossing with Ukraine on Monday, aiming to slow the movement of trucks as they demand restrictions on Ukrainian hauliers working in the European Union, police said.

Police have given permission for the protest in which about a dozen trucks will partially block the main road leading to the Zahony crossing, police said in a reply to emailed questions from Reuters.

Police did not say how long the protest would last but website index.hu reported the plan was to partially block the road leading to the border until the end of December.

1524 GMT — White House to intensify push for Ukraine aid and border security deal

The White House will step up its engagement with US lawmakers trying to strike a bipartisan deal that would provide military aid for Ukraine and Israel while tightening US border security, a Democratic senator said on Sunday.

Republicans have insisted that additional funding for Ukraine must be paired with major US border security changes but a bipartisan group of senators trying to broker a compromise have made little progress with less than a week before the US Congress leaves for a Christmas break.

"The White House is going to get more engaged this week," Senator Chris Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator, said on NBC News' "Meet the Press."

1221 GMT — Asked about peace talks, Russia's Lavrov says: ask Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the West is trying to exhaust Russia in Ukraine and that if peace talks were to take place then Kiev would have to change its own presidential decree.

"It is up to the Ukrainians to recognise how deep they are in the hole where the Americans put them," Lavrov said of the war.

When asked what the chances were of diplomacy to bring about a ceasefire or peace, he said: "You'll have to call Mr (President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy because a year and half ago he signed a decree prohibiting any negotiations with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin."

1046 GMT — Zelenskyy off to Argentina to win support from developing states

Zelenskyy is heading to Buenos Aires to witness the swearing-in of Argentina's new president Javier Milei, Zelenskyy's office said.

It is the Ukrainian leader's first-ever trip to Latin America as Kiev continues to court support among developing nations for its 21-month-old fight against Russia.

A political outsider who has railed against what he calls entrenched official corruption in Argentina and promised to uproot the political establishment, Milei ran on a pro-Western foreign policy platform, repeatedly expressing distrust of Moscow and Beijing.

Zelenskyy phoned Milei shortly after the Argentinian's electoral victory, thanking him for his "clear support for Ukraine" which he described in social media posts as "well-noticed and appreciated by Ukrainians."

In its readout of the call published shortly later, Milei's office said he had offered to host a summit between Ukraine and Latin American states, a potential boon to Kiev's monthslong effort to strengthen its relationships with countries of the global south.

For our live updates from Saturday (December 9), click here.