Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered nearly 2,000 casualties in a single day, Ukraine’s military has claimed, in what would mark one of the deadliest 24 hours of fighting since the war began.
Kyiv’s military claimed the vast toll as another day of intense fighting unfolded, with more than 120 clashes reported and Russian troops claimed to have fired more than 6,000 artillery shells and deployed close to 3,000 kamikaze drones.
The fevered push by Mr Putin’s forces came as talk of possible negotiations intensified following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, an event described as offering a “small window of opportunity” for peace by Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov.
While Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Nato membership should be a condition of any peace deal, he told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “Everything depends on the United States.
“If Trump is ready to see Ukraine in Nato, we will be in Nato, everyone will be in favour. If President Trump is not ready to see us in Nato, we will not be in Nato.”
Key Points
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Vladimir Putin’s forces suffer nearly 2,000 casualties in one day, Kyiv claims
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Ukraine’s Nato hopes ‘hinge solely on Donald Trump’
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Zelensky says peace deal with Putin would require 200,000 allied troops
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Trump threatens sanctions on Russia if Putin does not negotiate on Ukraine
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Ukraine arrests chief army psychiatrist on $1m corruption charge
Ukraine’s Nato hopes hinge solely on Trump, warns Zelensky
12:14 , Andy Gregory
While Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Nato membership should be a condition of any peace deal, he told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “Everything depends on the United States.
“If Trump is ready to see Ukraine in Nato, we will be in Nato, everyone will be in favour. If President Trump is not ready to see us in Nato, we will not be in Nato.”
Ukraine says Russia attacked energy facilities 1,200 times since 2022
12:05 , Andy Gregory
Russia has attacked Ukrainian energy facilities 1,200 times since its invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko has said.
Ms Svyrydenko told a news briefing in Davos that the figure included attacks on more than 800 electricity substations, distribution and power lines, more than 250 strikes on energy generation facilities and more than 30 on gas facilities.
Putin’s forces suffer nearly 2,000 casualties in a single day, Kyiv claims
11:46 , Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered nearly 2,000 casualties in a single day, Ukraine’s military has claimed, in what would mark one of the deadliest 24 hours of fighting since the war began.
Kyiv’s military claimed the vast toll as another day of intense fighting unfolded, with more than 120 clashes reported and Russian troops claimed to have fired more than 6,000 artillery shells and deployed close to 3,000 kamikaze drones.
Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed this week that Russian losses now exceed 800,000, with a record 434,000 of Mr Putin’s killed or wounded in 2024.
“This year of combat has cost them more than the previous two years of the war combined,” Mr Syrskyi told Ukrainian TV channel TSN.
Ukraine says it downed 65 Russian drones in overnight attack
11:17 , Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s air force has said Russia had launched an overnight attack on the country with 99 drones, of which 65 have been downed and 30 others disappearing from radar without reaching their targets.
The air force reported damage in six regions across Ukraine as a result of the attack.
Russia has launched near-daily volleys of strike drones at its neighbour over the past months.
Russia claims it sees ‘small window of opportunity’ to negotiate with Trump administration
10:49 , Andy Gregory
Moscow sees a small window of opportunity to forge agreements with Donald Trump’s new administration, Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has claimed.
“We cannot say anything today about the degree of the incoming administration’s capacity to negotiate, but still, compared to the hopelessness in every aspect of the previous White House chief, there is a window of opportunity today, albeit a small one,” Mr Ryabkov said, according to Interfax.
“It’s therefore important to understand with what and whom we will have to deal, how best to build relations with Washington, how best to maximise opportunities and minimise risks,” he said, speaking at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, a think-tank in Moscow.
Mr Trump has claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine swiftly, without specifying how, but warned the day after entering the White House that he would likely impose more sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate.
North Korean troops fighting for Russia ‘suffer 4,000 casualties’
10:22 , Andy Gregory
A third of the estimated 12,000 North Korean troops sent to fight in Vladimir Putin’s war have been killed or wounded, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is reported to have said.
Ukrainian website ArmyInform reported Mr Zelensky as saying during a visit to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany earlier this month: “Putin is not just maintaining his investments in aggression. He is doubling them. He has even started hiring soldiers from North Korea to continue this war.
“To date, they have lost 4,000 people wounded and killed.”
That figures appears slightly higher than estimates by South Korea, whose National Intelligence Service said previously that more than 300 North Korean soldiers had died and at least 2,700 wounded while fighting for Russia, according to the BBC.
Politico reported this week that the North Korean troops – who first appeared on the battlefield in October – have since earned a grim reputation among Ukrainians for apparently preferring to kill themselves rather than surrender.
Russian forces attack Zaporizhzhia 430 times in a day, governor says
09:54 , Andy Gregory
Russian forces launched more than 430 strikes on nine settlements in Zaporizhzhia in a single day, the region’s govenor has said.
Ivan Fedorov accused Moscow’s troops of launching six air strikes, firing more than 150 artillery shells and using more than 260 drones to attack settlements in the region.
There were 10 reports of residential buildings and infrastructure being destroyed, but no civilians were injured, the governor said.
Watch: Trump issues warning to Putin on day one in office
09:27 , Andy Gregory
Belarus’s Lukashenko could seek thaw in ties with West, analysts suggest
08:59 , Andy Gregory
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is expected to seek a thaw in ties with the West in a bid to lift sanctions if US president Donald Trump succeeds in his promise to bring the Ukraine war to an end, analysts have suggested.
While Mr Lukashenko – who is set to extend his 31-year rule in Sunday’s presidential elections, declared a sham by Belarus’s exiled opposition – is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, he has also shown tentative signs of easing repression in recent months in a likely bid to appeal to the West.
“If the war ends, there will be certain windows of opportunity for Lukashenko if he wants to continue these tactics of balancing between Russia and the West,” Tatsiana Chulitskaya, a Belarusian academic at Vilnius University in Lithuania, told Reuters.
Since last July, Lukashenko has issued what he called humanitarian pardons to 250 people serving prison terms for alleged extremist activity, and has allowed limited access in prison to two leading opposition figures, Maria Kalesnikava and Viktor Babariko, who had been isolated for nearly two years without any contact with the outside world.
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters this week that the release of political prisoners in batches was part of a game Lukashenko was playing with the West – and warned that many more people remain in jail, while arrests continue.
“We need to stop repressions, we need to release all prisoners and maybe then we will talk to you,” she said.
Ukrainians ‘using cat noises to lure Russian soldiers into traps’
08:30 , Andy Gregory
A Russian soldier has claimed that Ukrainians are using recordings of cat noises to lure them into explosive-rigged traps in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
According to The Times, Leonid Otdelnov, the commander of a mine-clearing unit told state-owned channel TV Zvezda: “We go in, we hear meowing, let’s say, in the cupboard. When you open it, out of compassion, there is a blast, because it has been rigged with explosives.”
He did not say whether any Russians had been killed as a result of the traps, and it was not possible to verify the claims.
Close to six in 10 Russians have previously been claimed to own a cat, according to market research firm Dalia Research, with reports last year that soldiers had started bringing cats to deal with rodent infestations on the frontline.
Trump: I told Xi to help settle Ukraine issue
07:52 , Arpan Rai
Donald Trump says he has pressed Chinese president Xi Jinping to intervene to stop the Ukraine war during a phone call after his inauguration.
“He’s (Xi’s) not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of… power, like we have a lot of power. I said, ‘You ought to get it settled.’ We did discuss it,” the US president said.
His call to the Chinese leader came shortly after Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with “dear friend” Xi on a video call.
Putin waved at Xi over the call as he proposed outlining plans to develop the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, strengthening a geopolitical alliance which seeks to weaken Western geopolitical influence.
Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?
07:24 , Arpan Rai
Critics of Donald Trump may sigh with irony as he takes the presidential pledge to uphold the constitution of the United States of America – and hope that he holds back on pledges to tear into the foundation document of modern America in the hours after taking office. In Ukraine, no one’s holding their breath.
In Ukraine’s capital, they know that the 47th president of the US is no particular friend. They also believe he’s potty about Vladimir Putin, and that may be to their advantage when Trump comes around to renewing military support for a nation fighting off the Kremlin.
Officials here are philosophical and diplomatic, even when speaking privately, about the incoming president. They’re keen to make a new relationship work – but also know that if there’s one legacy Trump won’t want attached to his name is that he was a patsy for the Russian president.
Sam Kiley writes:
Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?
Ukraine arrests chief army psychiatrist on $1m corruption charge
06:52 , Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian army’s chief psychiatrist has been arrested for alleged “illegal enrichment” charges over his earnings of more than $1m (£813,000) since the war began in February 2022.
The doctor is accused of corruption while sitting on a commission deciding whether individuals were fit for military service, the Security Service of Ukraine said, without naming the accused.
He owned three apartments in or near Kyiv, one in Odesa, two plots of land and several BMW cars, the SBU said. The investigators searching his home also found $152,000 (£124,000) and €34,000 in cash.
He had not declared the property, according to the officials, which they found to be registered in the name of his wife, daughter, sons, and other third parties.
While the officials did not name him, an individual named Olek Druz was named as the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ chief psychiatrist.
If convicted, the man faces 10 years in jail for the charges of illegal enrichment and making a false declaration.
Zelensky says working on a meeting with Trump
06:23 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was working to set up a meeting between himself and the US president Donald Trump.
“The teams have been working on a meeting, they are currently in the process,” Mr Zelensky said about those efforts yesterday.
Mr Trump, who returned to office on Monday, has said he would stop the war in Ukraine swiftly, without saying how.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would not agree to Russian demands that it drastically reduce the size of its military, predicting that Russian president Vladimir Putin would demand Ukraine cut its armed forces to a fifth of their size.
“This is what he wants. We will not allow this to happen,” Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine detains three generals for failure on battlefield
06:16 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine has detained three former commanders for their failure in military objectives and loss of territory last spring.
The country’s security service said late on Monday that the three former commanders — two generals and a colonel — have been accused of failing to protect the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine from Russian attacks last year.
The Pechersk district court of Kyiv yesterday imposed pre-trial restrictions on brigadier general Yurii Halushkin, former commander of the Kharkiv operational and tactical group, and colonel Illia Lapin, former commander of the 415th separate rifle battalion of the 23rd separate mechanised brigade, reported Ukrainska Pravda.
Putin proposes deeper ties with Beijing in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping of China
06:15 , Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Moscow and Beijing to deepen their strategic ties, as he spoke with “dear friend” Chinese president Xi Jinping on a video call.
Putin waved at Mr Xi over the call as he proposed outlining plans to develop the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, strengthening a geopolitical alliance which seeks to weaken western hegemony.
In a video released by the Kremlin of the conversation, Putin said: “I agree with you that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is based on a broad commonality of national interests and a convergence of views on what relations between major powers should be.”
Read the full wrap of all the latest in Russia and Ukraine:
Putin proposes deeper ties with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping
Ukraine working to set up Zelensky-Trump meeting
05:45 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine is working to set up a meeting between presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, but not date has yet been confirmed, Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
“The teams have been working on a meeting, they are currently in the process,” Mr Zelensky told an interview panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Putin could return with an army 10x bigger – Zelensky
05:15 , Arpan Rai
Russia will return with an army 10 times the size of the one which invaded Ukraine in 2022 if a diplomatic solution does not have strong security guarantees, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.
Russian president Vladimir Putin will return to Europe to fully occupy all countries which formerly made up the USSR, Mr Zelensky added.
He will then do what he did with Crimea in Ukraine, by seizing territory and using it to make demands and issue ultimatums, the Ukrainian president told world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He also criticised European countries for having a significantly smaller economic output than Russia, despite having more factories.
Trump administration will be ‘America First’, says new secretary of state
05:00 , Alex Croft
US senator Marco Rubio has emphasised that the Trump administration will push an ‘America First’ programme.
“His (Trump’s) primary promise when it comes to foreign policy is that the priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States, it will be furthering the national interest of this country,” Mr Rubio said after being sworn into office by vice president JD Vance.
A China hawk and a staunch backer of Israel, Mr Rubio said the foreign policy goal under Mr Trump will be “the promotion of peace. Of course, peace through strength, peace and always without abandoning our values”.
He is also the first person of Hispanic origin to serve as the top diplomat in the US.
Rubio discusses North Korea-Russia alliance with Japanese counterpart
04:22 , Arpan Rai
Trump’s new secretary of state Marco Rubio and Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya have discussed their shared concerns over North Korea’s political and security alignment with Russia, the State Department said in a statement.
The two leaders also discussed China’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base, the department said.
Kyiv will not agree to Russian demands to cut military – Zelensky
04:00 , Alex Croft
Ukraine will not agree to Russian demands that it drastically reduces the size of its military in a future peace agreement, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Zelensky warned that Russian president Vladimir Putin would demand that Ukraine reduce its military five-fold.
“This is what he wants. We will not allow this to happen,” Mr Zelensky said.
Zelensky warns Europe of Russian attack: ‘War closer to Davos than Pyongyang’
03:47 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said European nations need to work together to defend their continent, and not wait for the Trump administration, at a time when it is under attack by Russia.
“Europe must establish itself as a strong, global player, as an indispensable player,” the Ukrainian president said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Let’s not forget there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia. European leaders should remember these battles involving North Korean soldiers are now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than Pyongyang,” Mr Zelensky said.
“Does anyone in the United States worry that Europe might abandon them someday – might stop being their ally? The answer is no,” Mr Zelensky said.
The war-time president said that Europeans needed to devise a united security and defence policy and alluded to a pre-inauguration remark by Mr Trump, who proposed a massive hike in defence spending for Nato members to 5 per cent of GDP.
“If it takes 5 per cent of GDP to cover defence, then so be it, 5 per cent it is. And there is no need to play with people’s emotions that defence should be compensated at the expense of medicine or pensions – that’s not fair,” Mr Zelensky said.
Zelensky says peace deal with Putin would require 200,000 allied troops
03:03 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said at least 200,000 European peacekeepers would be needed to prevent a new Russian attack after any ceasefire deal as part of security guarantees for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland, also urged European leaders to do more to defend the continent.
“From all the Europeans? 200,000, it’s a minimum. It’s a minimum, otherwise it’s nothing,” Mr Zelensky said when asked about the idea of a peacekeeping contingent on an interview panel after delivering his speech.
That number is around the size of the entire French armed forces, estimated at just over 200,000 by France’s defence ministry in 2020. Mr Zelensky said at least that number would be needed as a security guarantee if Russia’s armed forces totalled 1.5 million personnel and Ukraine had only half that number.
The prospect of a rapid settlement has focused minds in Kyiv and Europe on the urgent need for security guarantees to prevent any future Russian attack, with the idea of a peacekeeping force being discussed.
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel the full force of Trump’s second term
03:00 , Alex Croft
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel the full force of Trump’s second term
One area where the Trump administration and Labour are likely to clash is on defence spending. The president has said he feels the US spends more on defence than most Nato countries, calling for a new target of fie per cent GDP.
This is up considerably from the current two per cent target. The UK currently pledges 2.3 per cent, with intentions ro raise it to 2.5 per cent by this year. Given the tight economic contraints outlined by the Treasury, it’s unlikely calls to increase this futher would be welcomed by UK officials.
The president has also said he would like to bring the war in Ukraine to a speedy end – and will now be able to use the US’s massive expenditure on Zelensky’s forces as a bargaining chip in discussions.
But some of his comments have prompted concern that Mr Trump may cede key Russian demands as part of a deal. This could include granting Vladimir Putin’s regime large regions of the country, or deferring Ukraine’s Nato membership bid. The incoming president has previously said that he “understands [Russia’s] feelings” about having “somebody right on their doorstep.”
If the war in Ukraine does move from military support to a possible peacekeeping operation, the prime minister has said that the UK will play “full part” in the plans.
Albert Toth reports:
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel Trump’s full force
Trump threatens sanctions on Russia if Putin does not negotiate on Ukraine
02:53 , Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has said he would likely impose sanctions on Russia if its president Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
“We’re talking to (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky, we’re going to be talking with president Putin very soon,” Mr Trump said. “We’re going to look at it.”
Mr Trump said he has also pressed Chinese president Xi Jinping in a call to intervene to stop the Ukraine war.
“He’s not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of… power, like we have a lot of power. I said, ‘You ought to get it settled.’ We did discuss it.”
Mr Trump gave no details on possible additional sanctions. The US has already sanctioned Russia heavily for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Both sides must compromise, says new US secretary of state
02:02 , Alex Croft
Ending the war in Ukraine will only be possible if both sides are willing to make compromises, the new US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said.
In a conversation with journalists immediately after being confirmed in his role, he said according to CNN: “We want the war to end. That’s pretty clear.
“You saw the President talked about, he wants to be a president that promotes peace and ends conflicts, and it’ll be complicated as well.
“Those are complicated things. I couldn’t put a time frame on it, other than to say that anytime you bring an end to a conflict between two sides, neither of whom can achieve their maximum goals, each side is going to have to give up something.”
Achieving peace is a priority for president Donald Trump’s administration, Mr Rubio added. He did not specify what type of concessions Ukraine would need to make.
Ukraine strikes aircraft factory and oil depot, Kyiv’s military says
01:01 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian forces hit a Russian aviation factory in the Smolensk region and an oil depot in the Voronezh region on Tuesday, its military said.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Kyiv’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said according to Ukrainska Pravda: “This plant [the Smolensk Aviation Plant] is closely connected with other businesses of the Russian defence industrial base, supplying components or involved in collaboration to create modern aircraft systems.”
The Voronezh strike is the second time Ukraine has hit Liskinskaya oil depot in the past week.
Ukraine has increased the regularity of its long-range strikes into Russia for the past several months, damaging energy infrastructure and military-industrial facilities.
Russian disinformation campaign looking to boost support for Germany’s far-right AfD
00:01 , Alex Croft
A Russian disinformation campaign is seeking to support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign ahead of the country’s February election, a think tank has found.
An analysis of hundreds of German-language posts on X over the past month have exhibited patterns of Russia’s Doppelgaenger disinformation campaign against the West.
The campaign spreads links to falsified Western news outlets sharing fake information, a German foreign ministry report published last June. Russia has consistently denied involvement.
Recent posts have blamed the Greens for Germany’s economic woes, criticised chancellor Olaf Scholz’s support for Ukraine, and spoken in favour of the AfD, CeMAS said.
The tracked posts share links to falsified German news websites or to articles on authentic ones supporting their narrative, and have achieved over 2.8 million views, CeMAS said.
Trump presidency will trigger right-wing surge in Europe – Hungarian PM
Tuesday 21 January 2025 23:02 , Alex Croft
Donald Trump’s presidency in the US will prompt a right-wing surge in Europe, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said on Monday, as he called for an offensive to “occupy” Brussels.
Mr Orban envisaged a “golden era” for relations between the US and Hungary, with Mr Trump’s presidency beginning from today, 20 January.
“Only a few hours and even the sun will shine differently in Brussels. A new president in the US, a large faction of Patriots in Brussels, great enthusiasm,” Mr Orban said. “So the great attack can start. Hereby I launch the second phase of the offensive that aims to occupy Brussels.”
Mr Orban’s hard-right Fidesz party formed the Patriots party group in the European Parliament last year. Led by France’s National Rally, the group has become the third largest in parliament with 86 members.
Pro-Russian candidate leads Romanian poll ahead of May election
Tuesday 21 January 2025 22:30 , Alex Croft
A pro-Russian candidate currently leads the Romanian polls four months before a crucial election in May.
Calin Georgescu, the far-right candidate who opposes Romanian support for Ukraine in its defense against Putin’s invasion, is the voters’ top choice ahead of a re-run of a presidential election.
The European Union state’s top court annulled the initial presidential election two days before the second round of voting, due to allegations of Russian interference.
The election of Georgescu would be a critical blow for Ukraine, which has relied on Romania to export millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta, trained Ukrainian fighter pilots and donated a Patriot air defence battery to Kyiv.
Georgescu is critical of NATO and has praised Romania’s fascist leaders of the 1930s. The EU court said he had benefited from a social media campaign likely orchestrated by Russia – Moscow denied the accusations.
But the latest polls for the first round show Georgescu set to gain 38 percent of the vote, with Crin Antonescu, leader of the pro-European governing coalition, sitting at just 25 percent.
Decisive Trump could change the course of history – senior Russian official
Tuesday 21 January 2025 22:01 , Alex Croft
The chief of Russia’s $23 billion sovereign wealth fund said new US president Donald Trump’s decisive leadership could “change the course of history” on Tuesday.
His praise came after MR Trump signed a batch of executive orders straight after his inauguration. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said Mr Trump’s actions could boost growth and open opportunities for dialogue.
“President Trump’s bold actions today prove that decisive leadership can change the course of history, unlocking economic growth and transforming global challenges into opportunities for dialogue and resolution through problem solving,” Mr Dmitriev said.
Mr Dmitriev, who is currently under US sanctions deemed illegal by Russian officials, is a US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker who played a key role in early contracts between Moscow and Trump’s first administration, after election in 2016.
Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?
Tuesday 21 January 2025 21:30 , Alex Croft
Critics of Donald Trump may sigh with irony as he takes the presidential pledge to uphold the constitution of the United States of America – and hope that he holds back on pledges to tear into the foundation document of modern America in the hours after taking office. In Ukraine, no one’s holding their breath.
In Ukraine’s capital, they know that the 47th president of the US is no particular friend. They also believe he’s potty about Vladimir Putin, and that may be to their advantage when Trump comes around to renewing military support for a nation fighting off the Kremlin.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?
Russia would need 100 years to conquer Ukraine at current rate, says David Lammy
Tuesday 21 January 2025 20:59 , Alex Croft
Russia would need 100 years to conquer all of Ukraine if it continued gaining territory at its current “slow” rate, according to the Foreign Secretary.
David Lammy said Vladimir Putin could end the conflict tomorrow by withdrawing from Ukraine, adding that the Russian president’s position is “not one of strength” as the invasion has been a “monumental strategic failure”.
He also said US President Donald Trump understands the importance of the war in Ukraine and “is not prepared to be a loser”, as he sought to allay concerns over the approach of the US under the new administration.
Read the full report:
Russia would need 100 years to conquer Ukraine at current rate, says David Lammy
‘I didn’t know I would be fighting in Ukraine’ – captured North Korean soldier
Tuesday 21 January 2025 20:30 , Alex Croft
A North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine has said he did not know who he would be fighting against or where he would fight.
In the recording of the interview, posted by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on X, the soldier says he arrived with Russia along with 100 fellow North Koreans on a ship, before being later transported by train.
The soldier, who had joined the army aged 17 as a conscript, said some of his compatriots were trained on heavy Russian military equipment – but that he did not go through this training.
“I didn’t know before coming to Russia that I would be fighting here, in Russia and I didn’t even know who we were fighting against,” the soldier told Ukrainian investigators.
“There were a lot of casualties when I was there alone, starting from the battle on Jan. 3. Overall, it’s hard to answer about such large-scale numbers.”
When asked what he knew about the world outside of North Korea, he said: “Not much.” Asked what he knows about South Korea, he said: “I only know that South Korea has fewer mountains than North Korea.”
ICYMI: Macron warns Europe it can’t depend only on US weapons as Trump takes office
Tuesday 21 January 2025 20:03 , Alex Croft
French president Emmanuel Macron has warned that the billions of euros of taxpayer money spent on Europe’s military budgets should not be used to buy only American weapons, pushing for more investment in home-grown defence industries.
Speaking minutes before the inauguration of US president Donald Trump, who has complained that Europeans do not pay enough for their defence, Mr Macron said the continent should spend more.
But he added, in a New Year address to military top brass: “We can’t raise debt together, spend more for our defence to subsidise the industry, wealth and jobs of other continents.
“When we say ‘let’s spend more for our armies’, in many countries it means, way too often, ‘buy more American materiel’.”
Mr Macron said France now had “Europe’s most efficient army” and met Nato’s military budget target of 2 per cent of GDP, but could not rest on its laurels at a time when the US might withdraw troops from Europe.
And he suggested that 2 per cent might not be enough “when the world is going off track”.
UK to explore possibility of military bases in Ukraine
Tuesday 21 January 2025 19:31 , Alex Croft
The UK will explore the possibility of establishing military bases in Ukraine, according to a 100-year declaration signed between the two countries.
Signed alongside the 100-year Partnership Agreement last week, the declaration states the UK will work with Ukraine to identify common defence needs and expand the capabilities of both countries.
“The Participants will explore options for deploying and maintaining defence infrastructure in Ukraine, including military bases, logistics depots, reserve military equipment storage facilities and war reserve stockpiles,” the declaration reads.
“These facilities could be utilised to bolster their own defence capabilities in the event of a significant military threat.”
The possibility of military bases is only presented as a theoretical possibility, and no specifics of the placement of potential bases is laid out.
It is also unclear how Article 17 of the Ukrainian Constitution – which prohibits military bases on Ukrainian territory – may impact any future plans.
Russia used chemical weapons 434 times on Ukraine last month, officials say
Tuesday 21 January 2025 19:00 , Alex Croft
Russian forces used ammunition equipped with chemical agents at least 434 times in Ukraine in December 2024, the Ukrainian general staff said yesterday.
The use of chemical agents banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) added to a total of 5,389 documented cases since February 2023, the general staff said.
“Ukrainian officials have previously reported on increasingly common instances of Russian forces using chemical substances in combat that are banned by the CWC, to which Russia is a signatory, and the Ukrainian General Staff noted that such violations have been systematic in the Russian military since February 2023,” the Institute for the Study of War said.
Putin takes swipe at Biden as Russian president congratulates Trump
Tuesday 21 January 2025 18:29 , Alex Croft
Putin holds phone call with Egyptian president
Tuesday 21 January 2025 18:01 , Alex Croft
Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Russian state news agency TASS said on Tuesday.
The leaders discussed joint projects between Russia and Egypt and the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, TASS reported.
Putin proposes deeper ties with Beijing in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping of China
Tuesday 21 January 2025 17:30 , Alex Croft
Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Moscow and Beijing to deepen their strategic ties, as he spoke with “dear friend” Chinese president Xi Jinping on a video call.
Putin waved at Mr Xi over the call as he proposed outlining plans to develop the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, strengthening a geopolitical alliance which seeks to weaken western hegemony.
In a video released by the Kremlin of the conversation, Putin said: “I agree with you that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is based on a broad commonality of national interests and a convergence of views on what relations between major powers should be.”
Read the full wrap of all the latest in Russia and Ukraine:
Putin proposes deeper ties with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping
