The fourth “peace formula” meeting in Ukraine held in Davos on January 14 in which 81 countries and international organizations participated closed with a group photo. According to Bloomberg, “Negotiations on the peace plan for Ukraine in Davos ended without a clear plan: Ukraine hopes to win support from countries in the Global South for its peace plan. According to Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, who served as co-chair, the participants managed “at a certain point” to clarify some issues for the upcoming discussion. But both Ukraine and Russia, which were not invited to the meeting, have already made it clear that they are not ready to make territorial concessions. The meeting at the level of state leaders, which Kiev would like to host, is not planned.”
The echo of the visit of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Kiev on 12 January continues to be heard. Among the statements he made we highlight: “Hesitations on Ukraine will ‘encourage’ Putin, North Korea and Iran.” And again: “The security cooperation agreement between London and Kiev lasts 10 years, Great Britain is committed to supporting Ukraine during this period.” According to what we understand from the Ukrainian media, the agreement on security guarantees signed by Kiev and London does not contain provisions on the direct participation of Great Britain in the conflict with Russia or on the deployment of United Kingdom troops on the territory of Ukraine, it appears from the text of the document published on the website of the Ukrainian president.
The Ukrainians asked the British for help in obtaining new batches of European IRIS-T and SAMP/T complexes. In response Sunak promised the largest military aid package to Ukraine worth around $3.2 billion for 2024 which will include air defense equipment, anti-tank weapons and long-range missiles. On January 14, a statement by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal made the rounds in the social sphere: “Ukraine will help Great Britain if it is attacked by Russia,” regarding the agreement with the United Kingdom, speaking of mutual benefits.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Joana urged to prepare for the fact that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia will last a long time and may not even end in 2025.
According to the Financial Times, the main targets of Russian missile attacks are increasingly the facilities of the Ukrainian defense industry and not the energy system, as last winter.”
European diplomats have developed a compromise solution that can overcome Hungary’s block on macro-financial assistance to Ukraine until 2027, Euractiv source. According to Euractiv, EU officials underline that Brussels could accept the idea of reviewing the 2024-2027 aid program for Ukraine in 2025, taking into account the assessment of how European taxpayers’ money is used and whether the requirements are met conditions set for Kiev. This audit should allow Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who vetoed the decision to allocate 50 billion euros to Ukraine as part of the revised EU budget at the December 2023 EU summit, to express again next year, if necessary, his disagreement with the financing of Kiev.
The new French Foreign Minister, Stephane Sejournet, announced in Kiev, during his first visit abroad, the priority of Ukraine in French foreign policy. “Ukraine is and will remain a priority for France,” the head of the French Foreign Ministry said on Saturday at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba. According to him, France will maintain this priority, “despite the multiplication of crises” in Ukraine.
Ukraine is also developing security agreements with the United States, Germany, France and some other countries, similar to the document signed with Great Britain, said Vladislav Vlasyuk, advisor to the head of the President’s Office of Ukraine.
From Kiev they make it known that Ukraine wants China to participate in negotiations to end the war, source Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrij Borysovych Jermak during the Davos meeting. At the same time, Ukraine has made it known that it is not open to freezing the conflict.
Despite the Kremlin, source spokesman for the Russian presidency Dmitry Peskov “has no information that any Russian plane was shot down by Ukrainian forces”, he declared, commenting on Kiev’s statements on the alleged A-50 and Il-22 of the Russian armed forces shot down. “No, there is no information,” Peskov responded to the corresponding question. “It’s an argument after all that concerns the conduct of a special military operation”, he added, recommending that this information be clarified with the Russian Ministry of Defense. A photo of a bullet-riddled Russian IL-22 that managed to return to base appeared online .
Dmitry Peskov, against the background of the visit of the head of the North Korean Foreign Ministry to Russia, said that Putin may take advantage of Kim Jong-un’s official invitation and make an official visit to North Korea in the near future. This visit can seriously advance the already actively developed relations between the Russian Federation and the DPRK in matters of political, economic and military cooperation.
In other news from Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin has included the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Gennady Krasnikov, in the Security Council of the Russian Federation. In Russia he is known as an entrepreneur and nanotechnology man.
And now a look at the Front line.
Russian paratroopers, according to what is learned from the social sphere, using new sights, destroyed Ukrainian equipment from 7800 meters. These are Kostroma paratroopers who destroyed a Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle using the Kornet anti-tank missile system in the direction of Artemovsk.
The details were reported by the Russian Defense Ministry. According to the Department, the military used new sights. Thanks to this, the target was hit from a record distance of 7800 meters. The Russians said they can now carry out attacks at distances of up to 10 kilometers thanks to new thermal imaging cameras. Recall that the Kornet ATGM was developed at the Tula Instrument Design Bureau and put into service in 1998. Unlike the previous ATGMs “Fagot”, “Konkurs” and “Metis”, the missiles launched from the “Kornet” are guided by a laser beam.
In the Kupyansk-Limansky direction, military operations continue north of Sinkovka, east of Makiïvka and in the Serebryansky forest where there is a Ukrainian stronghold. East of Makiïvka, Russian troops advanced south of the ravine along the front up to 2.2 km and to a depth of 1.7 km.
In the Bachmut direction, military operations continue east of Bogdanovka, west of Khromovo and north of Kleshchiivka, fighting ongoing in Khoromovo. The Russian army has expanded Bachmut’s control zone.
Donetsk direction. In the Avdiivska sector, Russian fighters advanced to the Stepove area and entered the territory of the Ivushka station east of the metallurgical factory. Furthermore, the Russian army attacked in the Pervomaiske, Nevelskoye and Georgievka areas, and also advanced to the southwest of Novomikhailovka. Russian troops continue to try to improve the tactical situation in Stepove and ST “Ivushka 2”. According to another source, the fighting in the same areas of the front, in the gardening communities east of the chemical plant of the metallurgy industrial area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has moved back several hundred meters. In recent days, the Russian armed forces have pushed more intensively in this direction.
In the direction of Yuzhnodonetsk, military operations continue in the area of the Solonenka ravine southwest of Novomikhailovka. In the Marinka area there are heavy battles near Novomikhailovka and Georgievka. No changes in the Krynok area
Zaporozhzhie Directorate. In the Orechiv sector the Russian army attacked west of Rabotino and regained part of the positions in Verbove. On the Vremevskij ledge the Russians advance in the area of Staromaiorske and Prechistovka. According to another source on January 15 in adverse weather conditions on the Zaporozhzhie front, a decrease in the activity of Ukrainian UAVs was again noticed, but the intensity of mutual artillery fire did not change. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are remotely mining Russian territory using all available means. The tactical advance of the Russian troops near Rabotino and Verbove was confirmed by a second channel; several strongholds were taken.
At night over the Sea of Azov, a Russian Il-22m plane would have been hit and the plane would have crashed, injuring several crew members according to the Ukrainians, the plane would instead have returned according to the Russians. In the same area, an A-50 early warning and air control aircraft was shot down; the preliminary cause was friendly fire, again according to unconfirmed Ukrainian sources. The reasons for the possible failure of the “friend or foe” system are unknown.
During the day on January 15, Russian armed forces launched attacks on the Krivoy Rog region, Kharkov, Kherson and Sumy.
In the direction of Kherson, Ukrainian activity was temporarily reduced: In the direction of Kherson, Ukrainian activity was temporarily reduced: the conduits were freezing and the delivery of the landing groups is difficult. At Krynki, in ruins, the Ukrainians did not take any active action. There are more and more captured Ukrainian soldiers with frostbite. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces maintain the tactic of hitting any target, including civilian ones, with drones, the signal of which is amplified by various repeaters.
In the Kursk region, the governor reported at night that 3 Ukrainian missiles were shot down over the Fatezhsky district. The Belgorod region is under daily bombing. The governor said that 18 settlements had been attacked by Ukrainian armed forces the previous day. Two civilians were injured in Donetsk (DPR).
Graziella Giangiulio
