Germany has delivered the sixth IRIS-T SLM air defense system to the country. Along with this, new Gepard anti-aircraft systems have been handed over to the Ukrainian military, complete with necessary ammunition. Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed the deliveries at a briefing following the European Council meeting, as covered by the monitoring project German Aid to Ukraine on December 20.

"The delivery of another IRIS-T system is underway, probably today, along with Gepard SPAAG, which we …

Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, has issued a stern warning to Ukraine, threatening "retaliatory measures" should Kyiv decide to stop the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe. Fico, whose country remains heavily reliant on Russian energy, expressed concern over the potential material damage to Slovakia's economy.

Official Bratislava will consider "retaliatory measures" if Kyiv ceases the flow of natural gas from Russia to Europe, as reported by Bloomberg, citing a statement …

Russian president Vladimir Putin has extended an offer to the United States to engage in a "high-tech duel of the 21st century." Putin suggested testing the prowess of Russia's "Oreshnik" missile system by targeting Kyiv. During a live session combined with a press conference on December 19, he confidently claimed that Western air defense systems stand no chance against such an attack. For those skeptical of his assertion, Putin proposed a "technological experiment":

"If Western experts …