Russia Warns US About Patriot Missiles

The war in Ukraine will not pause for Christmas. Reuters reports that both sides have ruled out a temporary halt in the fighting for the holiday. "No such offers have been received from anybody," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in an earlier Reuters story. "This topic is not on the agenda." Similarly, no peace talks of any kind are taking place, and a Ukrainian general says Russia appears to be committed to a long war. Also:

• Moscow warning: Amid reports that the US is poised to provide Ukraine with its Patriot air-defense missile system—which would be the most sophisticated technology offered to date—a Russian official issued a warning to the White House, reports the AP. That "would mean even broader involvement of (US) military personnel in the hostilities and could entail possible consequences,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. She did not specify those consequences.
• More US training: The Pentagon will expand its training of Ukrainian troops at a military base in Germany, reports the New York Times. The plan is to train 600 to 800 troops a month, essentially an entire battalion, up from the current 300 a month.

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)