Two ships leave Ukrainian ports within the framework of the Black Sea grain initiative
A cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain and another originating from Ukraine sail at the entrance to the Bosphorus in the Black Sea off the coast of Kumkoy, north of Istanbul, on November 2, 2022.
Ozan Kose | AFP | Getty Images
Two ships carrying 64,200 metric tons of grain and other food products have left Ukrainian ports, the organization that oversees the country’s agricultural exports said.
One ship is destined for Germany and carries rapeseed. The other ship was headed for Libya with corn.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal struck in July between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia’s maritime blockade and reopened three key Ukrainian ports.
To date, more than 660 ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports.
— Amanda Macias
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received the award of Honorary Citizen of Kyiv
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson awaits the arrival of US Secretary of State John Kerry for a meeting on the situation in Syria at Lancaster House on October 16, 2016 in London, England.
Justin Tallis | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko presented former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the award “Honorary Citizen of the City of Kyiv”.
“Boris repeatedly visited the Ukrainian capital – both in peace and in the most dramatic time of our struggle against the Russian aggressor. As Prime Minister of Great Britain, Johnson did everything possible to help Ukraine,” Klitschko said.
Johnson, who was one of the first world leaders to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv after the Russian invasion, quickly became one of Ukraine’s most visible Western supporters. He resigned as prime minister in July.
— Amanda Macias
Biden sends condolences after helicopter crash in Ukraine
The helicopter crashed near a kindergarten in Brovary, Kyiv.
Anatolian Agency | Anatolian Agency | Getty Images
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden expressed their condolences to the families of those killed in the helicopter crash in Ukraine.
“Our hearts also go out to the dozens of civilians who were killed or injured, including precious children and their families,” the first couple wrote in a statement.
Biden highlighted the work of Denis Monastirsky, Ukraine’s interior minister, who was killed in the crash along with several other Ukrainian officials.
The Bidens called him a “reformer and patriot” and said he “stands for the will of the Ukrainian people.”
“We will continue to honor that legacy through efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s institutions and in our unwavering partnership with the people of Ukraine to keep the flame of freedom burning bright,” Biden wrote.
— Amanda Macias
NATO warns that Russia is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, has promised to be ready
A fire engulfs a cogeneration plant hit by a Russian missile on October 10, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Russia is preparing for a protracted war, so NATO must prepare “for the long haul” and support Ukraine for as long as necessary, the alliance’s deputy secretary-general told top military chiefs from across Europe.
Speaking at the opening of a meeting of military leaders in Brussels, Mircea Joanna said NATO countries should invest more in defense, increase military industrial production and use new technologies to prepare for future wars.
As Russia’s war against Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, NATO leaders are expected to discuss how the allies can expand arms supplies, training and support to Ukraine in the coming months, and how they can further strengthen their own defenses.
“We have no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goals have changed,” Joanna said, adding that Russia has mobilized more than 200,000 additional troops. “So we have to be prepared for the long term. 2023 will be a difficult year and we must support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
— Associated Press
Zelensky says Western countries should send tanks before another Russian attack
“The mobilization of the world must precede the next military mobilization of our common enemy,” Zelensky said via video conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that Western countries should send tanks before Russia’s next offensive.
His comments come amid analysts’ fears that the Kremlin could soon launch a new mobilization campaign – and re-increase pressure on the country’s Western allies to supply Kyiv with heavily armored vehicles.
Speaking via video conference, Zelensky said: “The mobilization of the world must precede the next military mobilization of our common enemy.”
“Supplying Ukraine with air defense systems should pre-empt further Russian missile attacks. Western tank deliveries should pre-empt another Russian tank invasion,” he added.
Read the full story here.
“Sam Meredith.”
Australian Open bans flags of Russia and Belarus
In this file photo, an Australian Open-branded tennis ball is seen on the court before the 2015 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 11, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia.
Graham Denholm | Getty Images
Flags from Russia and Belarus have been banned from the Australian Open site after more than one was brought into the stands by spectators on Day 1 of the first Grand Slam of the year.
Normally flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park. But Tennis Australia has reversed that policy for both countries involved in the invasion of Ukraine, which began almost a year ago.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from competing at Wimbledon and team events such as the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup last year because of the war in Ukraine.
— Associated Press
The death toll from a rocket attack on a residential building in Dnipro has reached 45
Rescuers carry the body of a person who died during a missile attack by the Russian army in the Dnieper.
Sergey Chuzavkov | Lightrocket | Getty Images
The mayor of Dnipro Boris Filatov said that the number of victims of a Russian missile attack on a residential building has increased to 45 people.
Filatov said at least 17 people remain missing in the Dnieper and 12 bodies have not been identified, according to a translation by NBC News. Another 25 people are recovering in hospital.
— Amanda Macias
Zelensky thanked Trudeau for the latest military aid package of 200 armored vehicles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for announcing a new security package for his country that includes armored personnel carriers.
“Today, the Ukrainian army needs 200 Senator armored personnel carriers more than ever. Together we go to victory,” Zelensky wrote in a tweet.
Anita Anand, Minister of Defense of Canada, during a press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksiy Reznikov, during a press conference at the Military Press Center in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.
Ethan Swope | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv and said Ottawa would buy a US air defense system and donate it to Ukraine.
— Amanda Macias
Putin says victory in war ‘inevitable’ as NATO chief calls for more weapons for Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that victory in the war in Ukraine was “inevitable”, while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Putin must realize he cannot win on the battlefield.
Speaking to workers at an arms factory in St. Petersburg, Putin said “victory is assured, I have no doubt about it,” state news agency TASS reported. Putin made the comments on the same day he marked the 80th anniversary of Soviet forces breaking the Nazi siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown).
In this screenshot taken on Oct. 12, 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron (R) speaks during an interview in front of pictures of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ludovik Marin | Afp | Getty Images
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commented on Wednesday that we had reached a “pivotal moment” in the war.
“President Putin has shown no signs that he is preparing for peace and therefore must realize that he cannot win on the battlefield. This is a key moment in the war and the need to significantly increase support for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“If we want a peaceful, negotiated solution tomorrow, we must provide more weapons today.”
— Holly Elite
The head of the IAEA expects Russia to lose the energy battle
Birol of the IAEA said that before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, “Russia was the number one energy exporter in the world”.
Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty Images
The executive director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, believes that Russia will lose its energy war with the West.
“Russia will face great difficulties in terms of both oil and gas exports, and in my view, when we look over the next few quarters and years, Russia will lose the energy battle,” Birol told CNBC’s Joumana Bersetche at the World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.
His comments came shortly after an independent report showed that Russia’s fossil fuel export earnings collapsed in December, significantly hampering President Vladimir Putin’s ability to finance the war in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
“Sam Meredith.”
Ukraine released footage of the helicopter crash
The National Police of Ukraine released footage showing the aftermath of a helicopter crash in Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv.
At least 17 people were killed in the incident, including Ukraine’s interior minister and two of his colleagues, as well as the other six in the helicopter and four children.
The incident took place near a kindergarten and in the residential area. one…
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