The Ukrainian military reported on Monday that they successfully took down all five of the drones that were used by Russia in their attempted attacks overnight.

The Ukrainian military reported that the drones were shot down in various regions of the country, including Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, and Khmelnytskyi.

There were no recorded injuries or destruction caused by debris falling to the ground.

In his nightly video address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine and the European Commission will be assessing the progress made by Kyiv in aligning its laws with those of the European Union. They will also establish a framework for expected EU accession discussions in the upcoming year.

Zelenskyy announced that in the near future, the European Commission will begin the official evaluation of Ukrainian laws in order to determine their alignment with EU legislation. This process, known as screening, will commence soon.

Last month, the European Commission announced that Ukraine has met four out of seven requirements for negotiations to join the EU. These include appointing anti-corruption officials, preparing the judiciary system for significant changes, and bringing media legislation in line with EU regulations.

The commission announced that it will reevaluate Ukraine’s advancements in March, as part of a lengthy and intricate process towards joining the EU. The EU’s ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, has referred to this process as arduous.

During a two-day summit, the 27 member states of the EU made a surprise decision to start membership negotiations with Ukraine. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban chose to abstain from voting, stating that he did not want to be involved in what he deemed a “poor decision.” Orban had previously stated that Ukraine had not fulfilled three requirements.

Orban had promised for several weeks to prevent progress in the negotiations.

After Orban consented to exit the room, the remaining 26 members voted to approve the accession negotiations. Russia commended Hungary, known as Moscow’s strongest ally within the EU, for opposing the discussions.

Hungary subsequently halted a $54 billion financial assistance plan from the EU intended for Ukraine’s defense against Russia in Kyiv.

The European Union is anticipated to address the matter during an urgent meeting in the beginning of next year.

This information is sourced from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.