Joint Ukraine-EU summit scheduled for next month in Kyiv
The EU and Ukraine are due to hold a summit in Kyiv on February 3, almost a year after Russia’s full-scale aggression began.
“Both parties discussed the expected outcome of the next Ukraine-EU summit to be held in Kyiv on February 3 and agreed to intensify preparatory work,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A statement from the office said: Read after speaking with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.
Zelensky said the first EU tranche of macrofinancial aid to Ukraine, a €18 billion ($19 billion) package, will arrive in January. He thanked von der Leyen and said the EU’s financial support was “very important now that Russia is gathering new forces for aggression.”
— Natasha Turak
NATO discusses increased military spending requirements: Stoltenberg
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the 3rd of the 68th Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly in a room on the ground floor of the Auditorium of the Hotel Melia Castilla in Madrid, November 21, 2022. I will speak at the plenary session. Spain.
Alberta Ortego | European Press | Getty Images
According to German media, NATO members are expected to discuss military spending requirements in the coming months as some countries seek to bring their current 2% targets to a minimum contribution level. , Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reportedly told German media.
“Some allies strongly support minimizing the current 2% target,” the German outlet DPA said in an interview in Stoltenberg, reportedly.
“We will meet, we will have ministerial meetings, we will meet in the capital,” Stoltenberg said, adding that he would lead the negotiations.
The next NATO meeting is scheduled for July 11-12 in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, by which time Stoltenberg said he aims to reach an agreement.
— Natasha Turak
Russia aims to ‘exhaust’ Ukraine with continued attacks, Zelensky says
“It’s a tough morning. We’re fighting terrorists. Dozens of missiles, Iranian Shahid,” Zelensky wrote on his official Telegram account, referring to the Iranian-made Shahid drones increasingly used by the Russian military. mentioned machine.
Ukriform | Future Publishing | Getty Images
Russia aims to “wear out” Ukraine by prolonging attacks across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly speech.
“We have to ensure that this target of terrorists, like all others, fails, and we will do everything in our power to do so,” he said. “Now is the time for everyone involved in protecting the skies to pay particular attention.”
Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure have increased recently, with three consecutive nights of bombing in the latest string of attacks that began on New Year’s Eve. The strike has specifically targeted Ukrainian energy installations, leaving millions without heat or electricity in the bitter cold of the winter.
The Russian military is increasingly relying on Iran’s powerful Shahed drones that have wreaked havoc on Ukrainian cities. Zelensky said Ukrainian air defenses shot down more than 80 drones in early January.
— Natasha Turak
Russian anger at commander over death of unit in Ukrainian attack
Russia has made a rare public acknowledgment of human losses after dozens of soldiers died in a Ukrainian strike at a temporary barracks in Russian-occupied Donetsk on New Year’s Eve.
63 soldiers have confirmed dead — a figure CNBC could not independently confirm, but Kyiv officials claim much higher — the most brazen Ukrainian move in the war so far. means one of In Russia, calls for the punishment of commanders accused of endangering the military have sparked public outrage.
A Russian military blogger said the barracks in the city of Makyovka were in the same building as a large ammunition depot and commanders knew it was within range of Ukrainian rockets, Reuters reported. The amount is believed to have caused high levels of destruction.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack was carried out with four rockets fired from a US-manufactured HIMARS launcher provided to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military described the Makivka attack as an “attack against Russian personnel and military equipment.”
— Natasha Turak
