New $2.5 billion package from US, secret visit of CIA Director to Kyiv: last night's highlights
The Pentagon announced a new $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the CIA director recently visited Kyiv in secret, and the Netherlands said it was ready to pay for Leopard tanks for Ukraine. Here is what you may have missed from the previous night.
New aid package from US
The US Department of Defense has announced another $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine. The new package will include 90 Stryker armored vehicles and an additional 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, which will allow Ukraine to create two brigades of armored vehicles.
The new package will also include eight Avenger air defense systems, 53 MRAP armored personnel carriers, 350 HMMWVs, HARM missiles, and tens of thousands of additional rounds of ammunition for various weapons.
Secret visit of CIA Director
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Burns secretly visited Kyiv late last week to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on US intelligence on Russia's possible plans for war in the coming weeks and months.
Power supply in Kyiv
On January 20, Ukrenergo will provide Kyiv with 952 MW for consumption. This will cover 60% of the city's needs, so blackouts will remain within the schedule, according to the energy supply company Yasno. It is noted that the restrictions on electricity consumption are still significant, so on January 19, power outages were carried out in accordance with the “light grey” zones of the schedule.
The Netherlands is ready to pay for Leopard tanks
The Netherlands is ready to pay for Leopard tanks to be sent to Ukraine as part of a coalition of European countries and NATO allies. Poland and Finland have also previously announced their readiness to send Leopard tanks to Kyiv as part of the coalition. All such steps would require Berlin's permission.
At the same time, Germany's new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the supply of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine is possible regardless of a similar move by the United States to send its M1 Abrams tanks. He is "almost certain" that a decision on this will be made within the next few days.
Other news:
- A court in France has postponed the extradition hearing of Ukrainian businessman and politician Kostyantyn Zhevaho for the second time. Now it will be held on February 2.
- The Independent Media Council has appealed to the National Security and Defense Council over the launch of a new TV channel Ukraine World News, as the basis of its team is made up of former employees of Viktor Medvedchuk's channels.
- The United States announced that in the coming weeks it may start transferring confiscated assets of the Russian Federation to Ukraine.
- Russians again dropped explosives from a drone on the border of Sumy Oblast.
- The UN plans to allocate about $4 million for demining in Mykolaiv Oblast.
- Serbian and pro-Ukrainian activists file a lawsuit against the Russian private military company Wagner Group on charges of recruiting Serbs to fight in the war against Ukraine.
- Share: