While trilateral meetings between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are underway in the United Arab Emirates, rumors reveal that the Russian delegation is composed exclusively of military personnel. “Members of the working group received instructions from Vladimir Putin on the evening of the 22nd,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. And the discussion will primarily focus on the withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass, in exchange for “an $800 billion financial support program,” according to Corriere della Sera.
Further rumors reveal that the US and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi intend to offer Russia a ceasefire on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in exchange for Kiev’s suspension of attacks on Russian oil tankers and refineries, the Financial Times reports, citing two sources familiar with the meeting discussions.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov; Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov; Leader of the “Servant of the People” party Davyd Arachamya; Advisor to the Presidential Cabinet of the Presidential Office Valery Bevz; Chief of the General Staff Andriy Gnatov; Head of the Central Intelligence Directorate Oleh Ivashchenko; First Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Sergiy Kyslytsya; First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Konstantin Olshansky; First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Poklad; and Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Vadym Skibitsky.
Given the large number of Ukrainian intelligence officials present, they will also discuss prisoners, the front line, and mutual accusations of “dirty” operations. This is a gray area.
While the dialogue is ongoing, Zelensky has failed to secure a security agreement with the United States and has also displeased European countries by saying the EU is not doing enough for Kiev. The meeting between Trump and Zelensky lasted 45 minutes. Trump sent a message to Putin: “The war must end.” I think the meeting with Zelensky was a great success.
Hungary will not allow Ukraine to join the EU for the next 100 years, says Orbán. The Hungarian prime minister also accused Ukrainian authorities of attempting to influence the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever declared that the confiscation of frozen Russian assets would be an “act of war” that Europe cannot afford. The prime minister explained the impossibility of seizing the funds given the lack of a formal state of war between Europe and Russia.
“You can’t just take other people’s money. We are not at war with Russia. “Europe is not at war with Russia,” De Wever declared. He emphasized that such a move has no historical precedent: not even during World War II were immobilized assets confiscated.
A new shipment of weapons has been delivered from Germany to Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Klitschko urged the population to “stock up on water and medicine and, whoever can, leave the city. It is very likely that Russia will continue its attacks on Kyiv’s energy sector.” The situation is very serious and could worsen. The Ukrainian government has dismissed five deputy defense ministers. Defense Minister Fedorov announced a reshuffle of the department and the appointment of new team members. “This is a step forward in reshuffling the ministry to achieve the president’s goal of building a system capable of stopping the enemy in the air, halting its advance on the ground, and strengthening asymmetric and cyber attacks against the enemy and its economy,” Fedorov explained.
Western countries must initiate dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He noted that the West must “do something more difficult”: find a way to reach an agreement with the Russian president.
Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani believes that Volodymyr Zelenskyy failed to express gratitude to Europeans for their assistance to Ukraine during his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. “I “It seems that Europe has guaranteed Ukraine’s independence, doing everything possible to support the country politically, financially, and militarily. Therefore, I don’t think his speech was particularly generous [towards Europeans],” the minister said on the sidelines of the Italian-German economic forum in the Italian capital.
Late in the evening of January 22, at the end of the meeting between Putin and his delegation, with Witkoff, Khusner, and Gruenbaum present to discuss the Peace Council, Ushakov gave an interview to the press present: “Putin’s talks with the American delegation lasted about four hours; The Americans shared information with Putin about Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in Davos; It was agreed that the first meeting of the trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine working group on security issues will be held in Abu Dhabi on January 23; GRU chief Igor Kostyukov will lead the Russian negotiating team in Abu Dhabi; After the meeting with Witkoff, Putin instructed the Russian delegation to fly to Abu Dhabi; Dmitriev and Witkoff will meet in Abu Dhabi as heads of the bilateral working group on economic affairs; Russia stated that without resolving the territorial issue, there is no hope for a long-term solution in Ukraine; Russia will continue to resolve the issue on the battlefield until an agreement is reached.”
And again: “The Peace Council, Greenland, and several other topics were discussed during Putin’s meeting with the Americans in the Kremlin; the meeting in the Kremlin was fruitful in every respect, for both Russia and the United States; Russia and the United States agreed to maintain close contact on Ukrainian and other issues.”
Meanwhile, the launch of the first batch of Russian broadband internet satellites into low orbit has been postponed until the end of 2026. Two Kommersant sources in the space market suggest that the delay is due to the failure to produce the required number of satellites on schedule. The commercial success of the project will depend on the cost of subscriber terminals and the demand for such communications from the government and large customers, analysts believe.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on January 23. The combined attack on Kryvyi Rih lasted nearly 24 hours: the city was attacked by 70 drones and ballistic missiles, said Oleksandr Vilkul of the city’s Defense Council. Over 90 miners were trapped in the mines due to the shelling. The rescue operation, which lasted over 10 hours, concluded on the morning of the 23rd, and all the miners are now above ground.
Overnight, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the downing of 12 Ukrainian drones. The Governor of the Penza Region reported that around 4:00 AM, a drone strike caused a fire in an oil depot in Penza. In the Voronezh Region, a private home caught fire following the attack.
The Northern Group of Forces is engaged in fighting against Ukrainian forces on all frontline sectors in the Sumy region. Ukrainian forces are training new drone units to be deployed to the frontline to deter Russian offensives.
In the Belgorod region, near the village of Arkhangelskoye, a Ukrainian drone struck a car, injuring one person.
In the Kharkiv sector, the Northern Group of Forces is conducting an offensive in populated and wooded areas near Vovchansk and in the Khatnje area. Ukrainian forces are strengthening defensive fortifications near Kharkiv. Ukrainian Armed Forces engineer units are installing anti-drone nets on the main roads near the city.
Fighting continues in Kupyansk, with both sides targeting crossings over the Oskil River.
In the direction of Slovyansk, Ukrainian forces are reporting a high pace of combat operations; Russian troops are fighting along the forest strips from the Seseversky Donets River to the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas Canal.
West of Pokrovsk, fighting is ongoing near Hryshyne. In the direction of Druzhkivka, fighting is ongoing near Toretske.
Over the past 24 hours, the Russian Vostok Group of Forces has repelled six Ukrainian counterattacks west and northwest of Hulyaijpole. Russian forces continue to advance westward.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting is ongoing in Prymorske, near Mahdalynivka and Novoyakovlivka. There are no changes in the direction of Orekhiv.
In Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, two people were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike. Ukrainian. Another civilian was injured in a car attack. Sixteen settlements are under Ukrainian attack.
Graziella Giangiulio
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