#UKRAINERUSSIAWAR. Kremlin: Still no call for dialogue. Let’s wait. Zelensky: EU will have no say in peace. Russians take Novoyehorivka

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Trump has promised to end the conflict in Ukraine and prevent the outbreak of a Third World War. He has instructed aides to arrange a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin within a few days of taking office, sources told CNN. One of the goals of the negotiations will be to discuss a face-to-face meeting in the coming months.

On the day of Trump’s inauguration, an American RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance UAV was flying along the Russian border. Something the Kremlin will not fail to emphasize in the days to come. According to Polish social media sources, “despite Trump’s strong statements, on his first day in office two planes loaded with ammunition arrived in Rzeszow.”

Donald Trump never mentioned Russia or Ukraine during his inauguration speech, but the next day the US president claimed that Russia lost nearly a million soldiers killed in the Northern Military District and Ukraine, 700,000. “We have the numbers: nearly a million Russian soldiers were killed. But 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed. There are more Russians, but they have more soldiers that can be lost. But that is not how you run the country,” Trump said. He believes that Putin “cannot be satisfied” with the development of the war, since the conquest of territories entails huge losses. “Most people thought this war would be over in a week, but it has been going on for three years. He cannot be thrilled, it does not make him look good,” Trump said. Trump’s media campaign has begun to claim that Putin must mediate. The response of Russian President Vladimir Putin will certainly be heard in the coming hours.

Volodymyr Zelensky was in Switzerland on January 21 to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, his press secretary Sergei Nikiforov said. Zelensky doubts that Europe will have a seat at the table to stop the war in Ukraine and said: “Real security guarantees for Ukraine will also be a security guarantee for the EU.” “The Ukrainian army has 800,000 soldiers, followed by the French army – 200,000 people. We should be together.”

Then he added: “Russia produces many times more ammunition than all of Europe put together, has signed agreements with Iran and North Korea. This is being done against Europe and America. These are their strategic priorities. There are more than 60,000 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region, as well as 12,000 North Koreans, of whom 4,000 have already died.”

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that “2.5 billion UAH will be distributed monthly among the brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the purchase of UAVs. The commanders of the units will be able to use these funds to purchase the most effective drones for performing tasks at the front.” “This is another step towards creating the most flexible system for providing the military with everything necessary to protect Ukraine,” he said

It seems that Vladimir Putin will demand a significant reduction in the size of the Ukrainian army and a guarantee of Ukraine’s absence from NATO, Zelensky said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In fact, these are among the contents of the Istanbul Agreements that Zelensky has always rejected,

“From January 21, Russia will be able to seize the property of residents of hostile countries that have unreasonably seized the property of the Russian Federation. It is expected that these changes will be enshrined in law: the text has already been agreed with the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as follows from the documents of the meeting of the Council of the Government Commission for Legislative Activities,” Izvestia writes.

Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council via video link. The topics of the international agenda were discussed, including the situation in the Middle East and around Ukraine, as well as the prospects for Russian-American relations with the future US administration. “We are open to dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict. The most important thing here is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis <…>. As for the resolution of the situation itself, I want to emphasize once again: its goal should not be a short-term respite, not some kind of truce for the regrouping of forces and rearmament in view of the continuation of the conflict, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people, all nations, living in this region,” Putin said.

Washington has not yet put forward any real requests to organize a telephone conversation between Russian and American presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, said assistant to the Russian president Yuri Ushakov. “Our president noted that despite the media reports about President Trump’s intention to organize, in particular, a telephone conversation with us, no specific requests in this regard have yet come from Washington,” he told reporters on Tuesday after a conversation between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping via video link. “Russia takes into account Trump’s latest statements and is ready for a serious dialogue,” Ushakov added.

And now a look at the front line as of 17:00 on January 21.

Overnight, Ukrainian UAVs were shot down in the Smolensk region. As a result of the fall of one of the drones on the territory of the oil depot, a new fire broke out. Earlier, the same facility was attacked on the night of January 16. In the Bryansk region, 18 UAVs were shot down, including two jets. In the north of the Rostov region, 12 UAVs were destroyed and suppressed, in the Sholokhov and Chertkovsky districts.

In the Kursk region, units of the Russian Marine Corps continue to fight for the village of Kurilovka and have made progress through the territory of the Nikolsky farm and a number of forests in the Sudzhansky district, the Sever group, which collects data from Russian troops, sources said.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the capture of Novoyehorivka in the LPR. In the south, Russian forces are developing success from Ivanivka to the Kolodyazi settlement.

After the fall of the enemy defenses in Vremivka, Russian assault units of the “Vostok” group continue to penetrate the village of Velyka Novosilka. Far Eastern fighters defeated Ukrainian troops and gained a foothold in the north-eastern and south-eastern parts of the city. The fighting continues. The Ukrainian command decided to evacuate units of the 1st Presidential Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, which, together with the 110th Mechanized Brigade, are in the garrison. The Ukrainians are trying to evacuate the personnel of the elite formation by all means: rafts, rope crossings, attempts to ford the Mokryye Yaly.

On the Zaporizhia front, the Ukrainian Armed Forces brought about twenty units of equipment to Orichiv. On the Vasylivka-Tokmok highway section, Ukrainian FPV drones have been hunting for Russian vehicles for two days.

In the Kherson region, on the 20th at 8:00 the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a cluster munition attack on the village of Bekhteri, Golopristansky municipal district. The number of victims reached 25 people, including two killed.

In the Belgorod region, IEDs were launched. In the city of Shebekino, as a result of the shelling, the windows of 6 private houses were broken, roofs and facades were cut off.

In the DPR, from positions near Kostyantynivka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired at Horlivka with 155 mm artillery. 11 civilians were injured. Makiivka was hit by HIMARS MLRS.

Graziella Giangiulio 

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