UKRAINE EXCLUDES NEGOTIATIONS WITH RUSSIA: PESKOV
Taking into account the current legislation in Ukraine, Kyiv excludes the possibility of negotiations with Moscow, stated the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov.
Yesterday, the press secretary of Volodymyr Zelensky, Sergey Nikiforov, said that Ukraine does not refuse negotiations, but believes that they should be based on clear principles, which include, among other things, compensation for damages. To the journalist's question whether the demand for compensation from Kyiv is acceptable for Moscow, Peskov answered that Ukrainian legislation does not allow Kyiv to settle the situation in the country peacefully.
WEST SHOULD SUPPLY ALL WEAPONS THAT UKRAINE CAN HANDLE: VON DER LEYEN
Western allies need to ramp up arms supplies to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told CNN.
“Ukraine needs all the military equipment that it can handle, and this also includes the advanced systems,” von der Leyen said. “I hope very much that at Ramstein… that there will be a big move forward,” she added.
Ramstein summits are held to coordinate efforts to provide military aid to Ukraine. They were named after Germany’s Ramstain Air Base, where the first summit was held in April 2022.
The next meeting will take place on Jan. 20.
Western allies are expected to announce additional military aid for Kyiv.
Particularly, Germany is expected to make a decision on whether to approve the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
Several countries are reportedly ready to supply German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine but need approval from Berlin, which has yet to make a decision on the issue.
The decision is expected to be made ahead of the summit.
On Jan. 17, the Netherlands said it would join the U.S. and Germany in sending Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine. Patriot systems are the most advanced air defense weapon in the U.S. arsenal that Kyiv has been long pleading for.
PROTECTION ZONE FOR ZAPORIZHZHYA NPP IS NEEDED MORE THAN EVER: GROSSI
Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi will this week meet senior Ukrainian government officials in Kyiv on his proposal to set up a nuclear safety and security protection zone around Zaporizhzhya (ZNPP), where the IAEA has been present for more than four months.
“Located on the frontline, a protection zone for the Zaporizhzhya NPP is needed more than ever. I remain hopeful that it will be agreed and implemented soon, even though I would naturally have preferred to make faster progress on the plan. I aim to make substantive headway in this week’s meetings in Kyiv with the Ukrainian government. I will also press ahead in my parallel consultations with the Russian Federation,” he said.
IRAN REJECTED CHANCE TO REVIVE NUCLEAR ACCORD: BLINKEN
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran had rejected the chance to return to a nuclear deal with the US months ago and he reiterated that a new agreement was no longer a Biden administration priority.
Blinken said the US had the consent of Russia, China and the other original signatories to the 2015 agreement, which President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.
Iran balked, Blinken added.
“The Iranians killed the opportunity to come back to that agreement swiftly many months ago,” Blinken said at a press conference in Washington alongside UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Tuesday. “There was an opportunity on the table that they rejected, an opportunity that was approved by all who were involved.”
The US has all but given up on new talks, especially in the wake of Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted after the death of a young woman in police custody last year.
Last week, Iran said it had executed a dual Iranian-British citizen, Alireza Akbari. That drew swift condemnation along with sanctions from the UK.
A return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in which Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, “has not been on the agenda as a practical matter for many months now,” Blinken said, as the US government focuses instead on the Iranian government’s violent response to the protests and its supplying of weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
“These abuses will not go without consequence,” added Blinken.
