President Donald Trump said he sympathized with Russia's position that Ukraine should not join NATO and lamented his inability to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before Inauguration Day. NATO members and the Biden administration have expressed support for eventual membership, but Ukraine has not received an invitation. Kiev said joining NATO would deter further Russian aggression. Conversely, Trump and his allies argue that Ukraine's membership would unnecessarily provoke Russia and drag the alliance into war. “A big part of the problem is that Russia has been saying for years, long before Putin, that we can never get NATO involved in Ukraine. Now they're saying that. It's like it's written in stone,” Trump said. “And Biden somewhere said, ‘No.’ They should be able to join NATO.’ Well, Russia has someone right there, and I understand how they feel about that.”
Biden administration to unveil 'substantive' doomsday weapons package for UkraineThe Associated Press reported. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is scheduled to announce the package during a visit to Germany to meet with representatives of about 50 countries that have supported Ukraine. The exact amount of the package was not provided to The Associated Press by defense officials, who said it would not include all of the remaining funds to Ukraine, about $4 billion. The package follows a $1.25 billion aid package in December and a series of aid announcements as President Joe Biden races to provide military aid before leaving office. Officials said roughly 80-90% of all promised stockpiles have already been delivered to Ukraine.
President Trump's visit to Kyiv by special envoy to Ukraine and Russia is postponedsaid Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha. He is confident that a meeting between Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian officials “will take place at the appropriate time” and that the two countries are in contact “to make the meeting as fruitful as possible.” said.
Ukraine's General Staff announced on Tuesday that 94 clashes had occurred in Russia's Kursk region. twice as much as the previous day. A statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense listed six locations where Russian forces had defeated Ukrainian brigades and said they had launched attacks on Ukrainian troops and equipment at seven more locations. Reuters could not confirm either report. Ukraine launched a new offensive in the region on Sunday, without disclosing details or objectives of the operation.
The Ukrainian military says there was fighting in Krahov, which Russia claims is occupied. is still ongoing. Viktor Tregubov, a spokesman for Ukraine's Khortytsia military unit, said on state television that Ukrainian forces were controlling the western outskirts of the town, adding that Russia was using scorched-earth tactics to “completely destroy” the town. accused of being “They are actually trying to dismantle the town brick by brick,” he said, adding that Ukraine was “inflicting losses on them so that they don't go any further.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Karas accused Russia of using “gas as a weapon”. Russia's Gazprom has suspended heating and hot water in Moldova's Transnistria region due to financial disputes. On the same day, the gas transport agreement between Russia and Ukraine was not renewed, leaving people dependent on firewood and plug-in electric heaters. She wrote on social media platform
