The EU provides an additional 500 million euros to arm Kyiv
SITUATION UPDATE – This brings the EU-funded military financial aid to Ukraine to €3.6 billion. However, no decisions have been announced for the delivery of the Leopard tanks yet.
The European Union gives an additional 500 million euros to arm Ukraine, Poland is prepared to do without Berlin’s approval to send tanks, a pro-Russian official visits Soledar… Le Figaro review the conflict in Ukraine on Monday 23 January.
Poland was prepared to do without Berlin’s support for sending tanks
Poland warned on Monday it was prepared to do without support from Berlin, which it did not “not yet” made a decision on the delivery of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine. The German government appears to be divided on the issue of delivering heavy tanks. So far evasive, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who must ultimately decide, found himself under increasing pressure on Monday, after chief diplomacy Annalena Baerbock decided the day before that Germany was ready to authorize Warsaw to supply these armored vehicles. to kiiv. Under German law, countries with German military equipment must seek the go-ahead from Berlin to transfer it to a third country.
Also readDelivery of tanks to Ukraine: Poland is ready to do without German support
“We will ask for such a deal but that is a secondary question”Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reacted on Monday. “Even if we don’t get their approval (from Germany), we will give our tanks to Ukraineas part of a small coalition”including “if Germany wasn’t one of them”. Poland, ready to send 14 Leopards to Kyiv, is in discussions with about fifteen countries on this matter, many European armies have such armored vehicles, it is likely that it will have a significant impact on Ukraine in the face of the milling machines of the Russian troops.
” SEE ALSO – Delivery of tanks to Ukraine: “It’s not in the middle of a battle that you have to change lanes”, argues Jean-Pierre Raffarin
The European Union is providing an additional 500 million euros to arm Ukraine
The European Union on Monday awarded a new fund of 500 million euros for arms supplies to Ukraine and allocated 45 million euros for training Ukrainian soldiers in the EU, AFP learned from diplomatic sources. EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to release two appropriations funded by the European Peace Facility, following a videoconference interview with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kouleba. This amounts to 3.6 billion euros of military financial assistance to Ukraine financed by the European Peace Facility (EFF) which must be added to the bilateral financing of Member States with which not all communicate.
Also readFind a Western tank, a key asset according to kyiv to break the Russian lines in Ukraine
Russian officials visit Soledar, one killed in Kherson region
On the ground, Russian artillery fire killed a civilian on Monday in Antonivka, a village in the southern Kherson region, lamenting its governor, Yaroslav Yanushevich. A day earlier, a leader of the local occupation authority installed by Moscow had claimed that Russian troops were advancing towards two locations in the Zaporizhia region, also in the south, where clashes with troops from Kyiv intensified this week. One of the main separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, meanwhile presented himself in Soledar, a small town that Moscow claims captured just over a week ago. “destroyed” by fighting.
Also readWar in Ukraine: what are the stakes Battle of Soledar?
Ukraine has so far not officially acknowledged Soledar’s loss, saying it continues to fight on its western flank. Again on Monday, local government is under “active hostilities near Bakhmout and Soledar”, without further details. Pro-Russian separatists also announced that they had captured two nearby villages, Krasnopolivka and Dvourechye. And the bullets fell in the center of Vorozhba, an area in the northern region of Sumy, where an apartment building is located “directly affected” and damaged railway lines, according to Ukraine’s regional authorities.
” SEE ALSO – War in Ukraine: Ukraine: Russian troops say they are carrying out “offensive operations” in the Zaporizhia region
South Africa calls itself a ‘friend’ of Moscow, Estonia expels the Russian ambassador
On the diplomatic front, South Africa was criticized for its position “neutral” refusing to condemn Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine, took the new step Monday by declaring itself “friend” Russia. Estonia for its part will expel the Russian ambassador, a reciprocal measure following a similar decision taken hours earlier by Moscow regarding the Estonian ambassador. Latvia urgently asked the Russian ambassador to leave the country.
Russia and the West have doubled down on expulsions of diplomats in recent years and more since Russia launched their attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022. But this is the first time ambassadors have been returned to their countries since the start of the war.
Also readWar in Ukraine: expulsion of the Estonian ambassador to Russia
Norway: deserter Wagner arrested by police
A former mercenary from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner who fled to Norway about 10 days ago has been arrested by Norwegian police under immigration laws, police said Monday. The exact reason for this arrest has not been determined, but according to his lawyer, it was “safety rule violation” that surrounds it.
Also read“In Russia, the Wagner militia is a state within a state”
Andrei Medvedev, 26, had crossed the Russian-Norwegian border in the Far North on the night of January 12-13 and sought asylum in the Scandinavian country, saying he was prepared according to his lawyers to “spoke of his experiences in the Wagner group to people investigating war crimes”. The man said he fought in Ukraine in a Wagner uniform for four months before leaving in November when a paramilitary organization led by businessman Yevgeny Prigojine, he said, extended his contract against his will.
