While European countries bicker over sending Kiev Leopard 2 tanks, reports of a fresh scandal in Ukraine, which has a long history of shaky governance, come to light, as the fighting rolls into day 335.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
1143 GMT
Five regional governors and four deputy ministers are stepping down in Ukraine against the backdrop of several corruption scandals, a senior official has said.
They include the heads of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the northeastern Sumy region, the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as the region surrounding the capital Kiev, according to Oleg Nemchinov, a senior government official.
Nemchinov also announced the dismissal of a deputy defence minister, two deputy ministers of development of communities and territories, and a deputy minister of social policy.
Here are the other developments:
1157 GMT – Start training Ukrainians to use Leopard tanks, Germany says
Germany has said that allies could start training Ukrainian forces to use the Leopard battle tanks desperately sought by Kiev to repel Russian troops, provoking a defiant response from the Kremlin.
Berlin stopped short of granting permission for the tanks to be sent to Ukraine, but underscored that the pending decision was imminent.
Poland sought to push Germany to speed up its decision with Warsaw putting forward a formal application for the transfer of the German-made armament from its stocks to Ukraine.
1037 GMT – Poland asks for Germany’s consent to send tanks to Ukraine
Poland has formally requested Germany’s permission to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, the country’s defense minister has said.
“The Germans have already received our request for consent to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine,” Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter. “I also appeal to the German side to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks.”
“This is our common cause, because it is about the security of the whole of Europe” he stressed.
1034 GMT – Belarus say Ukraine proposed a non-aggression pact with Minsk
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Ukraine had proposed a non-aggression pact with his country, the Belta state news agency reported.
Lukashenko was cited as disclosing the alleged offer to a meeting of government and law enforcement officials at which he also accused the West of arming fighters in Ukraine who could potentially destabilise the situation in Belarus.
1000 GMT – ‘Nothing good’ would come of German tanks in Ukraine: Kremlin
“These deliveries would bring nothing good to the future relationship” between Berlin and Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in his daily briefing, adding: “They will leave a lasting mark.”
0915 GMT – NATO calls on Germany, allies to supply Ukraine with tanks
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has said he expects a decision “soon” on sending German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
“We must provide heavier and more advanced systems to Ukraine, and we must do it faster,” Stoltenberg said during a visit to Berlin, adding that consultations among NATO allies are continuing.
The NATO chief also warned that Moscow has shown no signs of changing course. “The only way to lasting peace is to make it clear to Putin that he will not win on the battlefield,” he said.
READ MORE:
US, Germany bicker over tanks as Kiev desperately needs military aid
Ukraine needs hundreds of tanks for a counter-offensive against Russian forces to retake occupied territory, according to Kiev, while Moscow says it will be Ukrainian people who will suffer if the West sends tanks.
For more updates on war in Ukraine
https://t.co/LnYXUnBoKp pic.twitter.com/MtUTYvS7dq
— TRT World (@trtworld) January 23, 2023
0835 GMT – Sites damaged in Ukraine
Ukraine’s state emergency service has posted to the Telegram messaging app that in the last day it attended 132 sites of damage caused by “the consequences of hostilities of the Russian Federation”.
“During the day, units of the state emergency service carried out 132 trips to eliminate the consequences of shelling by the occupiers of populated areas and infrastructure facilities, 12 fires were extinguished. Assistance was provided to 74 persons”.
The message added: “78,124 trips were made to eliminate the consequences of shelling, 13,794 fires were extinguished, 3,880 people were rescued”.
0830 GMT – EU: Sanctions, oil price cap ‘big hit’ for Russia
Economic sanctions and the price cap on Russian oil are “a big hit on Russia’s financial stability,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said.
“Today, Russian oil is being sold at $40 a barrel, while Brent is at $80. This means that the Russian oil is being sold at a discount of 50 percent, and it is being bought by mainly India and China,” Borrell said in a press briefing after the year’s first meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
He added that EU states have reached a political agreement for the seventh tranche of military support for Ukraine, with an additional $543 million (€500 million).
READ MORE: Ukrainian directors highlight Russian aggression at Sundance Film Festival
0800 GMT – Zelenskyy flags more changes after corruption probe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said personnel changes were being carried out at senior and lower levels.
“There are already personnel decisions – some today, some tomorrow – regarding officials at various levels in ministries and other central government structures, as well as in the regions and in law enforcement,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Monday.
He did not identify the officials to be replaced and said part of the crackdown would involve toughening oversight on travelling abroad for official assignments.
A top ally of Zelenskyy said corrupt officials would be “actively” jailed, setting out a zero-tolerance approach.
0623 GMT – Deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office tenders resignation
Kyrylo Tymoshenko said he had asked President Zelenskyy to relieve him of his duties.
“I thank the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for the trust and the opportunity to do good deeds every day and every minute,” Tymoshenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
0333 GMT – Hungary to oppose any EU nuclear sanctions against Russia
Hungary will not support any sanctions by the European Union that restrict Hungarian-Russian nuclear cooperation, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.
Szijjarto’s remarks came at a meeting of the foreign ministers of EU countries in Brussels.
“We will not support any step, no matter how small, that restricts Hungarian-Russian nuclear cooperation,” Szijjarto said of a new sanctions package planned by the EU against Russia.
He said sanctions harm the bloc more than they do Russia.
0135 GMT – Russia’s new army plan considers NATO’s expansion, Ukraine
Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov has said that the new plan on changes to the country’s armed forces considers possible NATO expansion and the use of Ukraine against Russia.
“The plan is approved by the President of the Russian Federation (Vladimir Putin) and can be adjusted when existing and new threats to the military security of the Russian Federation change,” Gerasimov told the news website Argumenty i Fakty.
“Today, such threats include the aspirations of the North Atlantic Alliance to expand to Finland and Sweden, as well as the use of Ukraine as a tool for waging a hybrid war against our country.”
READ MORE: Russia’s Wagner group denies recruiting Serbs for Ukraine fight
For live updates from Monday (January 23), click here
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Live blog: Ukraine officials quit in graft probe, Kiev eyes defence boost
Source: News Achor Trending
0 Comments