Russia continues to carry out strikes against Ukraine, and now the Ukrainians are requesting fighter jets to help protect the airspace.
There are more deaths each day from shelling or missile strikes and each one is tragic as their deaths are added to the figures. Meanwhile, countries are criticising the IOC decision to allow Russian and Belarusians to compete under a neutral flag with some looking to boycott the 2024 Olympics if they do not alter their position.
Day 340 (29 January)
A new Czech president was elected, Petr Pavel. He was a former army general, was also a NATO official, and supports western advancements. That’s why a big deal has been made of this as he supports Ukraine and unlike his predecessor who kept cordial relations with Orban of Hungary, seeks NATO enlargement and is in favour of the Euro and also gay marriages to bring things in line with Western Europe.
Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the UK to be trained on Challenger 2 tanks.
The Estonian Prime Minister criticised the IOC, where Kaja Kallas called the decision to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as ‘politically and morally wrong.’
The Wagner group claim to have taken control of another area near Bakhmut. Blahodatne is near Soledar, but this appears to be propaganda so that there is something to report to the Russians.
A ban on Ukrainian officials from leaving the country includes those ‘unfit for service’ , as it appears they may still be a risk in selling state secrets or defecting.
Reports claim that Dutch microchips have been found in Russian weapons. It seems that sanctions did not work, or companies have found means to bypass the sanctions.
Scholz has stated that he will continue to speak to Putin on a regular basis to find a way to end the war. He also said that it was up to Putin to end the war. His conversations so far have not yielded much good, especially as they did not deter Putin from invading Ukraine in the first place
There is talk of a fighter jet coalition, and US military officials have been discussing the possibility of supplying the equipments with the issues involved. The US said it would discuss matters with Kyiv on 2 February 2023.
Day 341 (30 January)
A fighter jet coalition is being sought by the Ukrainians now that the tank coalition is progressing. However, that will be more difficult and countries will be hesitant to provide jets not only due to the risk of escalation, but also if the technology falls into the wrong hands. Germany has already said they have just given tanks and can’t talk about jets, and the US and the UK are quietly discussing things behind closed doors.
Ukraine has threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes are permitted to compete. Regardless of a neutral flag, they still represent their countries and it means the Olympics could be used as a platform for propaganda.
Boris Johnson has claimed that in a call with Putin in early February 2022, prior to the invasion on 24 February, Putin threatened the UK with a missile attack. Russia had targeted the UK publicly on more than one occasion, claiming it could take out the country with a missile.
Ukraine has stated that they expect to join the EU within the next two years, with the pre-entry conditions and negotiations being made. There will be an EU-Ukraine summit on 3 February, 2023 in Kyiv.
Slovenia is the latest country to have detained people accused of spying for the Russians. Two people were detained in Ljubljana by the National Bureau of Investigation and Slovenia’s Intelligence and Security Service.
I hope this translates into good news for the Ukraine. Well done Estonia, too!!