Donald Trump said he sympathized with the Russian position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO and lamented that he would not be able to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before his inauguration. Although NATO members and the Biden administration have expressed support for its possible membership, Ukraine never received an invitation. Kyiv says NATO membership will deter further Russian aggression. Conversely, Trump and his allies argue that Ukraine’s membership would needlessly provoke Moscow and drag the alliance into war. “A big part of the problem is that Russia – for many, many years, long before Putin – said, ‘NATO could never get involved in relations with Ukraine.’ Well, they said it. It’s like set in stone,” Trump said. “And somewhere Biden said, ‘No. They should be able to join NATO. Well, Russia has someone on its doorstep, and I can understand their feelings about that.
Biden administration to announce ‘substantial’ final arms package for Ukrainereports Associated Press. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will announce a visit to Germany to meet with representatives of about 50 countries that have helped Ukraine. Although the exact amount of the package was not provided by defense officials to The Associated Press, they said it would not include all of the roughly $4 billion remaining in remaining funding. for Ukraine. The plan follows a $1.25 billion aid package in December and a series of aid announcements as the country rushed to provide military assistance before President Joe Biden leaves office. functions. Officials said that about 80 to 90 percent of all promised equipment has already been supplied to Ukraine.
Upcoming visit to kyiv of Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia will be postponedsaid Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sybiha. He expressed confidence that the meeting between Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian officials “will take place in due time” and that the two countries are in contact to “ensure that the meeting is as meaningful as possible.”
The Ukrainian general staff announced on Tuesday 94 clashes in the Russian region of Kursk. double the number from the day before. A Russian Defense Ministry statement listed six locations where its troops defeated Ukrainian brigades, and seven more where it said it launched strikes against Ukrainian troops and equipment. Reports from both sides could not be verified by Reuters. Ukraine launched a new offensive in the region on Sunday, but did not provide details of the operation or the objectives.
The Ukrainian army says that the fighting in Kurakhove, which Russia claims to have seized, is still in progress. Victor Tregubov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia military unit, told national television that Ukrainian troops were holding the western outskirts of the city, while accusing Russia of using scorched earth tactics to “destroy completely” the city. “In fact, they are trying to dismantle the city brick by brick,” he said, adding that Ukraine was “inflicting losses on them so that they do not advance further.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Russia of using ‘gas as a weapon’ after Russian company Gazprom cut off heating and hot water in Moldova’s Transnistria region due to a financial dispute. The same day, a gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine was not renewed, leaving populations dependent on wood heating and rechargeable electric heaters. Writing on social media platform
theguardian