REUTERSProtesters gather to participate in a demonstration marking the upcoming anniversary of 1,000 days since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, near the Russian Embassy in Rome, Italy, November 17, 2024. Ukraine meanwhile has some of its best troops trying to hold that small piece of Russian territory, captured in August as a bargaining chip. President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Ukraine must do its best to end the war next year through diplomatic means. But he has emphatically shut down any talk of a ceasefire before proper security guarantees are provided to Ukraine. "We want to warn everyone: there will be no 'Minsk 3'; what we need is real peace," he said.
