European Council president Charles Michel said tanks "must be delivered" to Ukraine after he visited the war-torn country on Thursday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president said earlier in the day that investigators were examining the causes for a helicopter crash near Kyiv that killed the country's interior minister and 13 others. Read our blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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10:18pm: US Coast Guard monitoring Russian spy ship on patrol off Hawaii
A Russian spy ship has been patrolling off the coast of Hawaii but so far has remained in international waters, the Pentagon said.
While the appearance of a Russian surveillance ship along the US coastline is not unusual, this one has attracted more attention because of heightened tensions between the US and Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and veiled threats to employ nuclear weapons.
The Vishnya-class Kareliya surveillance ship has been monitored by the US Coast Guard sailing near Hawaii over the last several weeks.
“I can’t speak to why the Russians are sailing the ship right now, it’s kind of precarious timing,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh. She said the Coast Guard is still monitoring the ship, which has been operating in international waters.
10:14pm: Zelensky expects 'strong decisions' on arms supplies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Thursday that he expected “strong decisions” on further Western arms supplies at a key meeting of allies at the US Ramstein airbase in Germany on Friday.
“As we prepare for tomorrow’s Ramstein, we expect strong decisions. We expect a powerful military support package from the United States,” he said.
10:02pm: Hundreds more Canada-made armoured vehicles to arrive in Ukraine by summer
A Canadian company supplying battle-ready armoured vehicles to Ukraine plans to deliver the 200 vehicles Ottawa promised to Kyiv before summer, the firm’s Chief Executive Officer Roman Shimonov said on Thursday.
Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand visited Kyiv to meet Ukrainian officials on Wednesday and announced the supply of 200 Senator armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, as part of its latest military assistance package.
The Roshel Senator armoured personnel carriers, built on Ford Motor Co’s F-550 large pickup truck chassis with ballistic steel and fitted with mine-protection seats and other safety features, has been used by Ukrainian soldiers in their defence against the Russian invasion that began last February. The Senators can be used be used as a medical evacuation vehicle or as a tactical combat vehicle, Shimonov said.
9:58pm: Germany could decide in ‘next hours’ on Ukraine tank supply
Berlin left the door open on Thursday to allowing allies to supply Ukraine with German-made modern battle tanks, saying it would “become clear in the next few hours or tomorrow morning”.
Ukraine’s allies are holding a crucial meeting on Friday at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, to coordinate further military aid to Kyiv. Ahead of the talks, pressure has been growing on Berlin to approve the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks, which are keenly sought after by officials in Kyiv to fight Russian troops.
Poland and Finland have indicated that they would be willing to send the tanks to Ukraine but need German approval for the move. Germany has to approve the delivery of the tanks if other countries that have bought them want to donate them to a third country.
Asked whether Germany would allow the shipments by European allies, newly appointed Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told broadcaster ARD it would “become clear in the next few hours or tomorrow (Friday) morning”.
9:18pm: US looking into ‘unconfirmed’ reports Russia has opened espionage case against US citizen
The United States is looking into the matter of “unconfirmed” reports that Russia has opened a criminal case against a United States citizen on suspicion of espionage, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
Patel said Russia does not generally abide by obligations to provide timely notification of the detention of US citizens in Russia, adding that Washington would continue to monitor the situation.
The FSB did not name the person or provide any other details, nor did it say whether the suspect had been arrested.
7:01pm: Western tanks no 'silver bullet' for Kyiv: NATO commander
A senior NATO commander warned on Thursday that Western tanks would not be a "silver bullet" for Ukraine in its fight with Russia, despite Kyiv's new arsenal outperforming Moscow's weaponry.
"There is not a particular weapon system that is a silver bullet. A balance of all systems is needed," said US General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, after a meeting of NATO military chiefs.
But he added that "it's clearly the case that modern Western technology is outperforming Russian technology" on the battlefield in Ukraine.
7:01pm: Russia reduces gas transit to Europe via Ukraine
Russian energy giant Gazprom will ship 25.1 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday, it said on Thursday, further reducing its supplies to the European Union.
At the same time, data from Ukraine indicates a possible partial recovery in supplies on Friday.
Russian gas exports to Europe via pipelines plummeted to a post-Soviet low in 2022 as deliveries to its largest customer plunged because of the conflict in Ukraine and suspected sabotage that damaged a major pipeline.
6:07pm: Polish PM 'pessimistic' about German permission for Leopard tank transfer to Ukraine
Poland's prime minister said on Thursday he was "moderately pessimistic" about Germany giving other countries permission to re-export Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
"I am moderately sceptical, moderately pessimistic because the Germans are defending themselves against this like a devil protects himself against holy water," Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters.
5:48pm: Russian troops launch 'local offensive' in southern Ukraine
The Russian army has launched a "local offensive" near the town of Orikhiv in southern Ukraine, where the front has been largely stagnant for months, a Russian-installed official said Thursday.
"Our troops have gone into a local offensive around Orikhiv," the head of Moscow's installed authorities in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, Vladimir Rogov said, according to Russian state media.
Rogov alleged the front had slightly shifted and that some Ukrainian troops had retreated.
"Our troops are holding their positions," he said.
5:02pm: EU slams Russia's 'despicable' Holocaust comparison
The EU on Thursday denounced Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's claim that Western policy towards Russia over Ukraine resembled the Nazi's "Final Solution" plan of genocide against the Jewish people.
"The Russian regime's manipulation of the truth to justify their illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has reached another unacceptable and despicable low point," the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
4:52pm: EU chief Charles Michel says 'tanks must be delivered' after Ukraine talks
EU chief Charles Michel on Thursday said that tanks "must be delivered" to Ukraine as he visited the war-torn country.
"I firmly believe that tanks must be delivered," Michel tweeted. "We want to support you because we are aware that the next few weeks may be decisive for what comes next."
4:38pm: War taking heavy toll on servicemen: Tens of thousands likely to suffer from PTSD
Mental health professionals in Ukraine are pushing for better help for soldiers traumatised by experiences on the battlefield. Months of trench warfare under heavy bombardment, combined with the loss of comrades, are taking a heavy toll on the men and women of the military, many of whom had little previous military experience. Tens of thousands are likely to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a condition for which only a few medical establishments in Ukraine are able to offer modern treatments. The most prominent among them, Forest Glade just outside Kyiv, launched a programme on Thursday to help share its expertise. FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports.
4:02pm: Lavrov says Russia will 'sober up' NATO and EU
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow would do all it could to "sober up" the European Union and NATO, which he accused of setting out to weaken and defeat Russia.
His comments came on the same day that former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO that a defeat for Russia in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war.
3:50pm: Pro-Ukrainian activists in Serbia file criminal complaint against Wagner group
Serbian and pro-Ukraine activists filed criminal complaints against Russia's Wagner paramilitary group and its supporters on Thursday, accusing it of recruiting Serbs to fight in Ukraine.
Cedomir Stojkovic, a Belgrade-based lawyer who also leads the October civic group, said that those accused include Russia's ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, and Aleksandar Vulin, head of Serbia's state Security and Information Agency (BIA).
“We have reasonable suspicion that Vulin ... gave orders, directives and guidelines that the activities of the Wagner Group in Serbia should not be prevented,” he said.
3:43pm: Denmark to donate 19 French-made howitzers to Ukraine
Denmark said Thursday it would donate 19 French-made Caesar howitzers to Ukraine, including some still on order, following a slew of pledges of heavy weapons from Kyiv's Western allies.
"We have been in constant contact with the Ukrainians about the Caesar artillery, and I am pleased that we have now received broad support from parliament to donate it to Ukraine's freedom struggle," Danish Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said.
1:20pm: EU's Charles Michel pledges support on Kyiv visit
European Council chief Charles Michel has arrived in Kyiv for talks about the bloc's support for Ukraine and reforms needed in the ex-Soviet republic to one day join the European bloc.
Michel posted a photograph of himself on Twitter from a train platform, saying: "Back in Kyiv to discuss all strands of cooperation ... May 2023 be the year of victory and peace."
The EU leader said a day earlier he was personally in favour of the West providing tanks to Ukraine.
Michel, who chairs meetings of the EU's 27 national leaders, is sometimes referred to as chairman of the bloc. His visit comes two weeks ahead of an EU-Ukraine summit on February 3.
In a major geopolitical move, the EU awarded Ukraine membership candidate status last year. But officials in Brussels have warned that Kyiv would need further reforms on the rule of law in order to be able to join the bloc one day after the war ends.
12:15pm: Moscow warns of escalation if West gives Ukraine longer-range weapons
The Kremlin has warned of further escalation in Ukraine if Western countries supply Kyiv with more weapons capable of striking Russian territory.
"Potentially, this is extremely dangerous, it will mean bringing the conflict to a whole new level, which, of course, will not bode well from the point of view of global and pan-European security," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The warning comes on the eve of a key meeting of Ukraine's Western supporters at a military base in Germany, with talk of supplying Kyiv with modern battle tanks high on the agenda.
Peskov spoke after Moscow's ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Russia would retaliate if Ukraine uses Western-supplied weapons to target Russia or the Crimea peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.
11:05am: Sweden to send infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine
The Swedish government has announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine that will include armoured infantry fighting vehicles, saying it ordered its defence forces to prepare shipment of the Archer artillery system.
The package is worth 4.3 billion Swedish crowns ($419 million) and will also include NLAW anti-tank weapons.
"Military support to Ukraine is absolutely crucial," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a news conference. "Ukraine's wishes in terms of what they want carry a lot of weight in our decision."
Sweden will send about 50 of its tracked and armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicle. The government did not specify how many Archer systems it would supply.
10:15am: Russia opens espionage case against US citizen
Russia's FSB security service says it has opened a criminal case against a US citizen suspected of espionage.
"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against a US citizen on the grounds of a crime under the 276 'Espionage' Article of the Criminal Code," the FSB said. "The American is suspected of collecting intelligence information in the biological sphere, directed against the security of the Russian Federation," it added.
The FSB did not name the person or provide any other details, nor did it say whether the suspect had been arrested.
Several Americans are currently in detention in Russia and both countries accuse each other of political arrests. Last month, Moscow freed US basketball start Brittney Griner – arrested for bringing cannabis oil into the country – in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
8:40am: Zelensky says 'several theories' investigated after helicopter crash
Ukrainian investigators are exploring several hypotheses to explain the helicopter crash that killed the country's interior minister and 13 others in a suburb of Kyiv on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
"The investigation is ongoing. There are several theories and I'm not authorised to talk about any of them until the investigation is finished," Zelensky said in a video address to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Ukrainian leader said his country aimed to liberate all territories occupied by Russia, including the Crimean peninsula, as he called on his Western partners to provide him with more weaponry.
"Our objective is to liberate all of our territories," he said, speaking in Ukrainian. "Crimea is our land, our territory, our sea, and our mountains. Give us your weapons and we will bring our land back."
7:15am: US, German defence ministers meet amid differences over tanks for Ukraine
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will press Germany's new Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to allow for the transfer of German-made tanks to Ukraine when they meet for talks later today – with the two countries still at loggerheads over the issue.
Germany will allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine to help its defence against Russia if the United States agrees to send its own tanks, a German government source told Reuters.
But US officials publicly and privately insist that Washington has no plans to send US-made tanks to Ukraine for now, arguing that they would too difficult for Kyiv to maintain and would require a huge logistical effort to simply run.
US officials say supplying Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks makes the most sense as a number of European countries already have them and are willing to transfer them quickly – pending approval from Berlin.
Read more: UK offers tanks in Ukraine’s hour of need, but will Germany follow suit?
4:45am: US to provide $125 million to Ukraine to support energy systems
The United States will provide $125 million to Ukraine to support its energy and electric grids, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
Ukrainian cities have been hit by repeated power outages as a result of targeted attacks by Russian forces, leaving millions without power even as they contend with freezing winter temperatures.
10:56pm : US not ‘there yet’ on Abrams tanks for Ukraine
The United States is not currently prepared to provide advanced Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a senior Pentagon official said, citing difficulties in maintenance and training.
Ukraine has repeatedly pushed for modern Western tanks to help battle Russia’s invasion, and Germany has reportedly linked its decision on whether to do so to Washington’s willingness to provide Abrams.
“I just don’t think we’re there yet,” US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told journalists when asked about providing Abrams to Ukraine, though he did not completely close the door on a shift in the future. “The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment. It’s expensive, it’s hard to train on, it has a jet engine – I think it’s about three gallons to the mile with jet fuel. It is not the easiest system to maintain,” Kahl said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
