Peace talks this week between Russia and the US aimed at ending three years of war in Ukraine have not impressed front-line Ukrainian troops, who see no quick end to the fighting if Kyiv is left out of the negotiations. Front-line troops say they are determined to fight on.
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered senior military officials to develop a budget plan that would slash defense spending by 8%, a dramatic cut which could reshape military end-strength and readiness for decades to come in the future.
Vladimir Putin is assembling a heavyweight team with decades of experience in high-stakes negotiations to face off against US President Donald Trump’s representatives for a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. They include Yuri Ushakov, his chief Kremlin foreign-policy adviser.
Last night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the shelter protecting the world from radiation at the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This shelter was built by Ukraine together with other countries of Europe and the world.
The United States Trump administration’s freeze of foreign funding has begun impacting an international effort to hold Russia responsible for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, according to numerous sources and a Ukrainian document seen by Reuters. However there are other issues.
In the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian prison administrations were instructed to torture captured Ukrainian soldiers, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing several former employees of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Vladimir Putin is not preparing for negotiations, but rather for the continuation of the war, and not only against Ukraine – particularly as the Kremlin is bolstering its military by more than 100,000 troops.
Ukraine’s independent media, including small regional outlets, investigative websites, and online platforms, have been reeling since the USAID announcement, with some warning they may be just weeks away from staff cuts or a complete shutdown.
North Korean ballistic missiles fired at Ukraine by Russia since late December have been far more precise than salvos of the weapons launched over the past year, senior Ukrainian sources told Reuters. Such improvements in North Korean missile capabilities are troubling.
Ukraine’s drone strikes crippled over two dozen Russian oil sites only in January alone, significantly cutting Russia’s war revenues. Systematic Ukrainian deep strikes on Russia’s largest oil facilities have revealed a vulnerable energy giant with a struggling air defense.
Funds allocated by Congress for United States weapons packages to Ukraine during the Biden administration are nearly depleted, with most of the equipment already delivered. A 30 December package from former US President Joe Biden exhausted the remaining funds.
Russia plans to recruit over 126,000 prisoners and legally troubled citizens in 2025 as it struggles to replace battlefield losses. With a total mobilization goal of 280,000 troops, Moscow is increasingly relying on a “special contingent” to fill gaps in its forces.
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