SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 Remarks by President Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine Before Bilateral Meeting   Oval Office   3:42 P.M. EDT   PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Mr. President, it’s an honor to welcome you back to the White House and to the Oval Office.   And earlier this week at the U.N. General Assembly, I made it clear that — that no nation can be truly secure in the world if, in fact, we don’t stand up and defend the freedom of Ukraine from facing this Russian brutality and aggression.   That’s why we brought together a coalition of more than 50 countries — more than 50 countries to help Ukraine defend itself, and it’s critical.   And that’s why, together with our partners in Ukraine, we have provided humanitarian aid as well as tens of millions of people with food, clean water, and so much more.   And that’s why — that’s why we’ve begun the process of formalizing our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s security, alongside the G7 and with other partners.   And that’s why we support a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukrainian sovereignty and its territorial integrity.   Mr. President, the brave people of Ukraine — and that’s not hyperbole; the people of Ukraine have shown enormous bravery —  enormous bravery — have inspired the world — literally inspired the world with their determination to defend these principles.   And together with our partners and allies, the American people are determined to see to it that we do all we can to ensure the world stands with you, and that is our overwhelming objective right now.   So, welcome, welcome.   PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Thank you so much.   PRESIDENT BIDEN:  We have much to talk about.   PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Thank you so much, Mr. President — such warm and strong words to all the Ukrainians from — from you.  Thank you.  Appreciate it.   I’m glad to meet you.  It’s already the third time this year.  Thank you for the invitation.  Our regular dialogue has proved that our countries are really, truly allies and strategic friends.  And we greatly appreciate the vital assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine to combat Russian terror — really, terror.   Today, I’m in Washington to strengthen our coalition to defend Ukrainian children, our families, our homes, freedom, and democracy in the world.   And I started my day in the U.S. Congress to thank its members and to people of America for all the big, huge support.   I’ve felt trust between us, and it’s allowed us to have a frank and constructive dialogue, Mr. President.  And this trust and support I felt from both chambers and both parties.  I’m grateful for this.   Then, with the First Lady, I honored innocent victims of September 11 Memorial in Pentagon.  All those who — tragedy — death — who died on American Airlines Flight 77.  It’s very important to all in the world to remember the victims of terror and value everyone who fights with it.   And now, I look forward, Mr. President, to our discussion for the benefit of our nations and the world.   When it comes to weapons, we will discuss everything, with a special emphasis on air defense.  And just to say that — especially this day — one year ago, we had — we made a big exchange of prisoners — war prisoners and journalists.   And it was on this day when we got and brought home defenders of Azovstal.  And also citizens of the United States — not — that we — we did it — Alexander Drueke and Andrew Tai Huynh, both from — both from Alabama.   Thank you, Mr. President.   PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you.   Thank you all very much.   (Cross-talk.)   Q   Mr. Zelenskyy, are you — aren’t you concerned that you’re losing Poland over the grain export dispute?  Are you concerned that you’re losing a friend?   PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Our friends with Poland?  Our friends, we are very thankful to Polish people, Polish society for all of — for their support.   That’s it.  Thank you.   3:47 P.M. EDT -----------------------------------------------------------------     SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 Readout of President Biden’s Meeting President Zelenskyy of Ukraine STATEMENTS AND RELEASES   President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. hosted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine at the White House today. President Biden reiterated that the United States will continue to support Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression for as long as it takes and hold Russia accountable for human rights abuses and war crimes.   The presidents and their advisors discussed Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive.  President Biden provided an update on forthcoming U.S. security assistance. He shared that the United States will announce a significant new package today, including more air defense capabilities to help Ukraine protect its people and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks both now and in the winter. The United States is also coordinating sustained deliveries of short range air defense systems like the Avenger, longer range air defense systems such as the HAWK, and hybrid systems that pair Western air defense interceptors with existing Ukrainian systems. He also shared that Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine next week. In addition, the United States is committed to bolstering Ukraine’s defensive capabilities in the long term, including through partnerships with Ukraine’s defense industrial base. To that end, the United States government will host a conference this fall that brings together U.S. defense industry, Ukrainian business leaders, and officials from both governments to explore options for joint ventures and co-production.   President Biden and President Zelenskyy discussed U.S. support to Ukraine’s energy sector and economic recovery. They talked about efforts to increase energy generation and transmission capacity, and welcomed their governments’ signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen Ukraine’s energy resilience.  President Biden introduced Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker, who will focus on engaging the private sector, partner countries, and Ukrainian counterparts to align support for priority investments and reforms designed to improve the business climate.   President Zelenskky shared his plans to address corruption in Ukraine. President Biden underscored the importance of strong, politically independent anti-corruption institutions, including the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, and the High Anti-Corruption Court.   Finally, President Biden welcomed President Zelenskyy’s ongoing diplomatic effort to secure global support for a just and lasting peace.   ###

MAY 19, 2023 G7 Leaders’ Statement on Ukraine   STATEMENTS AND RELEASES 1. Preamble        At our meeting today in Hiroshima, we, the Leaders of the G7, reaffirmed our commitment to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We condemn, in the strongest terms, Russia’s manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and the impact of Russia’s war on the rest of the world. 15 months of Russia’s aggression has cost thousands of lives, inflicted immense suffering on the people of Ukraine, and imperiled access to food and energy for many of the world’s most vulnerable people. We express our full sympathy and condolences to the Ukrainian people for their loss and suffering. We salute the Ukrainian people for their brave resistance. Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not tire in our commitment to mitigate the impact of Russia’s illegal actions on the rest of the world.        Today we are taking new steps to ensure that Russia’s illegal aggression against the sovereign state of Ukraine fails and to support the Ukrainian people in their quest for a just peace rooted in respect for international law. We are renewing our commitment to provide the financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support Ukraine requires for as long as it takes. We are imposing further sanctions and measures to increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort. And we are taking steps to support partners worldwide as they navigate the suffering caused by the Russia’s war, including through humanitarian assistance. We are also building on the success of our efforts to ensure that Russia is no longer able to weaponize the availability of energy against us and against the world. Since February 2022, we have adopted sanctions, import bans, and other measures to reduce our dependence on Russia’s source of energy. In addition, in Elmau, we agreed to launch a price cap on Russian oil and petroleum products. This is working. Russia’s revenues are down. Global oil and gas prices have fallen significantly, benefiting countries around the world.   2. Towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine        We urge Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. Russia started this war and can end this war. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine constitutes a violation of international law, in particular the UN Charter. We reiterate our firm rejection of Russia’s illegal attempts to acquire Ukrainian territory by force. We underline that a just peace cannot be realized without the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops and military equipment, and this must be included in any call for peace.        Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, undermining of arms control regimes, and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are dangerous and unacceptable. We recall the statement in Bali of all G20 leaders, including Russia. In this context, we reiterate our position that threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible.        We once again recall the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/ES-11/6 titled “Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine” adopted in February this year with the broad support of the international community, and will continue to pursue concrete efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. We remain committed to diplomacy and welcome and support the earnest efforts by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in setting out basic principles in his Peace Formula in line with the UN Charter. With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we remain ready to reach arrangements together with Ukraine as well as interested countries and institutions on sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. We are determined to help Ukraine build a positive future for its people. We welcome the key role that Ukraine plays in the European Political Community.   3. Nuclear safety and security        We express our gravest concern over Russia’s grossly irresponsible seizure and militarization of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). We support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to strengthen nuclear safety and security of, and the application of safeguards to, nuclear material and facilities in Ukraine, including through the continuous presence of IAEA experts and its focus on ensuring nuclear safety and security at the site. We reaffirm support for the IAEA Director General’s “Seven Indispensable Pillars of Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Security” and highlight the importance of ensuring and promoting the safety and security of nuclear facilities under any circumstances. In this context, we highlight the G7’s contribution to the IAEA’s efforts in Ukraine for this purpose and call on others to provide support.   4. Support to stop Russia’s war of aggression        We commit to continuing our security assistance to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s aggression, tailoring our support to Ukraine’s needs. We stress the importance of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in coordinating military and defense assistance by each country provided in line with its national circumstances.   5. Support for recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine        We reaffirm our strong commitment to ensuring that Ukraine has the economic support it needs. Under the leadership of Japan’s G7 Presidency, together with the international community, we have ensured Ukraine has the budget support it needs for 2023 and early 2024. We welcome the approval of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and look forward to the swift implementation of Ukraine’s reforms supported by the program. The program will help to stabilize Ukraine’s macroeconomic and financial situation, contribute to longer-term economic sustainability, and help to catalyze further financial support from other countries and institutions as well as the private sector.        We welcome the progress made in discussions in the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine and reaffirm our intention to further coordinate with Ukraine, partner countries and relevant international organizations. We are committed to addressing Ukraine’s recovery needs. We will continue our joint effort to support Ukraine’s repair of its critical infrastructure, recovery and reconstruction. We are determined to use the Platform as our primary mechanism to ensure that our assistance and support for reforms are well coordinated, properly sequenced, and mutually reinforcing. It will play a central role in coordinating donor support to match Ukrainian needs, advancing Ukraine’s reform agenda in line with its European path and helping to promote sustainable private sector-led growth. We also welcome the efforts of the G7+ Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support and reiterate our continued support for restoring and upgrading Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. We stand ready to support the sustainable and resilient recovery and green reconstruction of Ukraine, including by sharing our experience, knowledge and expertise regarding humanitarian de-mining and war-related debris and pollution management.        We recognize the importance of the role of the private sector for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including through trade and investment, which may be facilitated through insurance and other tools to manage risk. In this regard, we welcome efforts by the World Bank Group, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and our Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in accordance with their mandates. These efforts include the establishment of the Support for Ukraine’s Reconstruction and Economy (SURE) Trust Fund at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) as well as the launch of the Ukraine Investment Platform in Tokyo on May 12 to support Ukraine and affected countries more broadly, through further efficient co-financing and greater collaboration among the DFIs, together with the EBRD. We expect the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will be held in London in June this year, to reinforce momentum behind Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.   6. Anti-corruption and justice system reform        We welcome the continued determination and efforts of the Ukrainian government and people to combat corruption, and encourage continued implementation of an effective reform agenda that will support good governance and improve investor confidence. We support Ukraine’s efforts to advance necessary institution-building as well as substantive legal reform in line with Ukraine’s European path, especially in the judicial sector and promotion of the rule of law.   7. Sanctions and other measures        We remain united in imposing coordinated sanctions and other economic actions to further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression. Specifically, we are taking the following measures, consistent with our respective legal authorities and processes and international law:        We will further restrict Russia’s access to our economies. Building on previous measures taken to prevent Russia from accessing inputs in support of sectors key to its military industrial base, we will broaden our actions to ensure that exports of all items critical to Russia’s aggression including those used by Russia on the battlefield are restricted across all our jurisdictions, including exports of industrial machinery, tools, and other technology that Russia uses to rebuild its war machine. We will further target those operating in these key sectors, such as manufacturing, construction, and transportation as well as business services. We will starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine. We will continue to shield agricultural, medical, and humanitarian products from our restrictive measures and make every effort to avoid potential spillover impacts on third countries.        We will further prevent the evasion and circumvention of our measures against Russia, including targeting entities transporting material to the front. We will continue to work through the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) Task Force and the Enforcement Coordination Mechanism to enhance the effectiveness of our restrictive measures. We are engaging with third-countries through which restricted G7 goods, services, or technology may be provided to Russia to strengthen third-countries’ understandings of G7 measures. We note and encourage commitments made by these countries to ensure our measures are not circumvented and have the intended effect.        We reiterate our call on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia’s aggression, or face severe costs. We will reinforce our coordination to prevent and respond to third parties supplying weapons to Russia and continue to take actions against third-country actors who materially support Russia’s war.        We will also work to further curtail Russia’s use of the international financial system to further its war in Ukraine. We are prepared to take further measures against those willfully supporting the financing of Russia’s war. We are taking steps to further reduce avenues for Russia to circumvent our financial measures including by preventing third-country branches of Russian banks from being used to avoid sanctions. We will continue to take necessary actions against Russia’s financial sector while coordinating to preserve financial channels for essential transactions.        We will continue to reduce Russia’s revenue to finance its illegal aggression by taking appropriate steps to limit Russia’s energy revenue and future extractive capabilities, building on the measures we have taken so far, including export bans and the price cap for seaborne Russian-origin crude oil and refined oil products. We have dramatically reduced our reliance on Russian energy and commodities. We are determined to continue on this path so that Russia is no longer able to weaponize energy against us. We will further reduce reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia, including working to assist countries seeking to diversify their supplies. We will also continue efforts to reduce Russia’s revenue from metals. Further, we remain committed to upholding the price caps on Russian oil and petroleum products and we will enhance our efforts to counter evasion of these caps while avoiding spillover effects and maintaining global energy supply.        In order to reduce the revenues that Russia extracts from the export of diamonds, we will continue to work closely together to restrict trade in and use of diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia and engage with key partners with the aim of ensuring effective implementation of future coordinated restrictive measures, including through tracing technologies.   8. Responsibility for Damage        We will continue our efforts to ensure that Russia pays for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine. In this context, we welcome the establishment, in the framework of the Council of Europe and to meet the request from the UN General Assembly, of a Registry of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine. In line with the commitment made through the REPO Task Force, we will continue to take measures available within our domestic frameworks to find, restrain, freeze, seize, and, where appropriate, confiscate or forfeit the assets of those individuals and entities that have been sanctioned in connection with Russia’s aggression. We are taking steps to fully map holdings of Russia’s sovereign assets immobilized in our jurisdictions. We reaffirm that, consistent with our respective legal systems, Russia’s sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until Russia pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine.   9. Accountability        There must be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities, such as Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical civil infrastructure. We acknowledge the efforts made at the United for Justice international conference organized by the Government of Ukraine, and recall the Bucha Declaration that calls for accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine.        In this context, we reiterate our commitment to holding those responsible to account consistent with international law, including by supporting the efforts of international mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). We strongly condemn the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainians, including children, from the occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia, and will continue to follow the progress of the ICC investigation in this regard, with the utmost attention and call for the return of these children. We also deplore instances of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence against Ukrainians. We welcome the establishment of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.        In addition, welcoming the efforts by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in this context, we underscore the importance of the protection of education of all children, in particular those impacted as well as the preservation of Ukrainian cultural properties and heritage damaged and threatened by the war of aggression. We are also paying attention to the impact of Russia’s aggression on international sport. While fully respecting the autonomy of sporting organizations, we are focused on fair sporting competition as well as on ensuring that Russian and Belarusian athletes are in no way appearing as representatives of their states.   10. Support to vulnerable countries        Parallel to our support to Ukraine, we reaffirm our commitment to address the growing needs of vulnerable countries which have been aggravated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In particular, we stress that Russia’s weaponization of food has compounded economic vulnerabilities, exacerbated already dire humanitarian crises, and escalated global food insecurity and malnutrition to unprecedented levels. We welcome the significant emergency financing delivered by the IMF through the Food Shock Window approved in October 2022 and support additional efforts towards vulnerable countries. We will continue to provide rapid assistance to help affected countries and populations, including through the Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS). We will continue to support the export of Ukrainian agri-products including through the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes. In this regard, we support the expansion and extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) and we call upon Russia to stop threatening global food supplies and allow the BSGI to operate at its maximum potential. We remain committed to the Grain from Ukraine initiative. Our contributions support the delivery of humanitarian food assistance to the most vulnerable countries in partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP). We remain dedicated to concrete collaborative actions in order to enhance energy security and achieve climate commitments. We will continue to work together in solidarity to limit the impacts from the global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to support vulnerable and affected countries, such as through the International Energy Agency Task Force on Natural Gas and Clean Fuels Market Monitoring and Supply Security.   11. Conclusion        We hereby pledge, from Hiroshima, the “symbol of peace”, that G7 members will mobilize all our policy instruments and, together with Ukraine, make every effort to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.   ###

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION

BLACK SEA AND UKRAINE CRISIS



 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION BLACK SEA AND UKRAINE CRISIS   The Black Sea undersea river is a current of particularly saline water flowing through the Bosphorus Strait and along the seabed of the Black Sea. The discovery of the river, announced on 1 August 2010, was made by scientists at the University of Leeds, and is the first of its kind in the world. The undersea river stems from salty water spilling through the Bosphorus Strait from the Mediterranean Sea into the Black Sea, where the water has a lower salt content. Scientists have previously discovered channels running along ocean floors, based on sonar scanning. One of the largest of these runs from the mouth of the Amazon River into the Atlantic Ocean.  Though it was suspected that these channels might function as rivers, it was only with the discovery of the Black Sea river that this suspicion was confirmed. Because of the power and unpredictability of these streams, they have been difficult to explore directly.  A team of scientists headed by Jeff Peakall and Daniel Parsons of the University of Leeds collaborated with scientists from the University of Southampton, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the Turkish Institute of Marine Sciences. The team used the Natural Environment Research Council's Autosub3 – a 7-metre torpedo-shaped autonomous underwater vehicle – to get as close to the current as possible.  The river was found to be 37 miles (60 km) long, up to 115 feet (35 m) deep and 0.6 miles (1 km) wide. Though smaller than the Amazon channel, the undersea river still carried ten times more water than the Rhine. It flows at a speed of four miles per hour (6 km/h), with 22,000 cubic metres (780,000 cu ft) passing through per second. Had it been a surface river it would have ranked as the sixth largest river in the world. The river was found to contain features typical of surface rivers, such as river banks, floodplains, waterfalls and rapids. One major difference was that the underwater river, when rounding a bend, moved in currents spinning in the opposite direction from those on land.  The river works as a density current, because it carries sediments along the sea floor and has a higher salinity than the surrounding water.   Environmental considerations:  Salinity  is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal to ‰). Salinity is an important factor in determining many aspects of the chemistry of natural waters and of biological processes within it, and is a thermodynamic state variable that, along with temperature and pressure, governs physical characteristics like the density and heat capacity of the water. A contour line of constant salinity is called an isohaline, or sometimes isohale.   Salinity is an ecological factor of considerable importance, influencing the types of organisms that live in a body of water. As well, salinity influences the kinds of plants that will grow either in a water body, or on land fed by a water (or by a groundwater).  A plant adapted to saline conditions is called a halophyte. A halophyte which is tolerant to residual sodium carbonate salinity are called glasswort or saltwort or barilla plants. Organisms (mostly bacteria) that can live in very salty conditions are classified as extremophiles, or halophiles specifically. An organism that can withstand a wide range of salinities is euryhaline. Salts are expensive to remove from water, and salt content is an important factor in water use, factoring into potability and suitability for irrigation. Increases in salinity have been observed in lakes and rivers in the United States, due to common road salt and other salt de-icers in runoff. The degree of salinity in oceans is a driver of the world's ocean circulation, where density changes due to both salinity changes and temperature changes at the surface of the ocean produce changes in buoyancy, which cause the sinking and rising of water masses. Changes in the salinity of the oceans are thought to contribute to global changes in carbon dioxide as more saline waters are less soluble to carbon dioxide. In addition, during glacial periods, the hydrography is such that a possible cause of reduced circulation is the production of stratified oceans. In such cases, it is more difficult to subduct water through the thermohaline circulation. Not only is salinity a driver of ocean circulation, but changes in ocean circulation also affect salinity, particularly in the subpolar North Atlantic where from 1990 to 2010 increased contributions of Greenland meltwater were counteracted by increased northward transport of salty Atlantic waters. However, North Atlantic waters have become fresher since the mid-2010s due to increased Greenland meltwater flux.   Ukrainian crisis A military airfield in Belbek, a village near Sevastopol, Crimea, was also used for civil aviation, named Sevastopol International Airport Belbek[a] (IATA: UKS, ICAO: UKFB), for six years from 2002 to 2007 under Ukrainian administration.   Since 2014, following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the base has been operated by the Russian Ministry of Defence. In 2017 plans were published under Russian administration to restore the airfield into an international airport by 2020, but this did not happen.   The base is home to the 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment which flies the Sukhoi Su-27 and Sukhoi Su-30 under the 27th Composite Aviation Division part of the 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army.   2003 In October 2003, Russia started to build a dam from the Taman Peninsula towards the Tuzla island in Ukraine (near Crimea) without any preliminary consultations with the Ukrainian government. After the construction of the 3.8 km long dam was stopped at the Russian-Ukrainian border.[1] The construction of the dam caused the increased intensity of stream in the strait and deterioration of the Ukrainian Tuzla island. To save the island from deterioration, the Ukrainian authorities financed ground works to deepen the bed of the strait. The aim for the building a dam by Russia was to stop Russian ships from having to pay a toll to Ukraine while crossing the Strait of Kerch, which is considered as territorial waters of Ukraine. In late 2003, Ukraine and Russia agreed on that the strait of Kerch became shared internal waters of both countries. The tensions ended in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.   2015 On June 3, the Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy detected the Russian frigate Ladny, which was on a reconnaissance mission near the territorial waters of Ukraine. Moreover, the ship was on the way to interfere with shipping in the area. The Ukrainian Navy mobilised the cutter Pryluky and the harbor minesweeper Henichensk, an Mi-14 helicopter, and the cutter Mykolaiv of the Maritime Border Guard. Ladny was forced to cancel operations and sailed back.   2017 On January 27, 2017, the Ukrainian diving support vessel Pochaiv was hit by sniper fire from the Tavrida drilling platform, originally operated by Chernomorneftegaz, being seized by Russian forces in 2014.   On February 1, 2017, a Ukrainian Navy An-26 transport aircraft came under small arms fire from Russian military personnel, stationed on a drill rig, while flying over the Odesa gas field in the Black Sea. This gas field is located within Ukraine's exclusive economic zone, not off the Crimean peninsula, which is also part of Ukraine's EEZ. While the rig in question has not been named, it was amongst those stolen by Russian forces in the aftermath of the annexation of Crimea. According to the Ukrainian military, the aircraft was on a training flight and was hit by small caliber shells.[4]   2018 On 21 September 2018, a Russian Su-27 fighter, from the Russian-occupied territory of Crimea, created the preconditions for an emergency in the air, approaching dangerously closely distance an An-26 military transport aircraft of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, which was executing a scheduled task above the Black Sea.[citation needed] On 25 September 2018 during the Volia-2018 Ukrainian strategic command and staff exercises, Russian Su-27 fighter jet's dangerous flyby over Ukrainian warships.   BK-02 Berdyansk after being captured, with a hole in the pilothouse On 25 November 2018 three Ukrainian navy vessels which attempted to redeploy from the Black Sea port Odessa to the Sea of Azov port Berdyansk were damaged and captured by the Russian FSB security service during the Kerch Strait incident.   2019 In the summer of 2019, Russia blocked many areas without having first filed any such requests, thus interrupting navigation and nearly blocking international shipping to and from Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. On July 24, Russia blocked off 120 thousand square kilometers—nearly 25 percent of the entire Black Sea surface. On 10 July 2019, despite a coastal notification for seafarers regarding the closure of the area for conducting the international exercise Sea Breeze 2019, the destroyer Smetlivy, a ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, entered at about 08:00 on July 10, 2019, an area closed to navigation, where practical naval artillery shooting was conducted by a naval group of an international coalition, and provoked a dangerous situation.   In August 2019, Ukrainian Navy small reconnaissance ship Pereyaslav during their trip to Georgia to participate in exercise Agile Spirit 2019 and while in neutral waters, crew received a warning over the radio from a Russian navy ship. The Russians warned that the Ukrainians needed to turn away because the area was allegedly blocked. International coordinators did not confirm that fact, so the captain of the Pereyaslav decided to maintain the vessel along its original course. Soon thereafter, the Kasimov, a large Russian anti-submarine corvette, Project 1124M/Grisha V-class, was spotted near the Ukrainian ship. The Russian corvette's aggressive behavior only ceased when a Turkish reconnaissance plane arrived close to the Pereyaslav. This incident was filmed by a Ukrainian team of military journalists as part of the Ukrainian delegation participating in Agile Spirit 2019.   On 14 November 2019, during the Third International Conference for Maritime Security, in Odesa, Ukrainian Navy commander Admiral Ihor Voronchenko said that a Russian Tu-22M3 had been observed simulating the launch of a missile strike on this coastal city, Voronchenko added that Russian bombers had made several similar attempts during exercises on July 10, conducting a virtual airstrike 60 kilometers from Odesa.

 



 

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

G7 Leaders’ Statement

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

 

At the one-year mark of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes. Russia’s heinous attacks over the last 365 days have laid bare the cruelty of the ongoing aggression. We condemn Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war, disregard for the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and indifference to the impacts that its war is having on people worldwide. We salute the heroism of the Ukrainian people in their brave resistance. We commit to intensifying our diplomatic, financial and military support for Ukraine, to increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war effort, and to continuing to counter the negative impacts of the war on the rest of the world, particularly on the most vulnerable people. Russia started this war and Russia can end this war. We call on Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. In the past year Russian forces have killed thousands of Ukrainians, caused millions to flee, and forcibly deported many thousands of Ukrainians, including children, to Russia. Russia has destroyed hospitals, schools, and energy and critical infrastructure, and left historic cities in ruins. In areas liberated from Russian forces, there is evidence of mass graves, sexual violence, torture and other atrocities. We strongly condemn all of Russia’s outrageous acts. Amidst Russia’s assault, Ukrainians are more united, proud and determined than ever. Russia’s war against Ukraine is also an attack on the fundamental principles of sovereignty of nations, territorial integrity of states and respect for human rights. We remain united and resolute in our support of the UN Charter. We reiterate our unequivocal condemnation and firm rejection of the attempted illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. As in the case of Crimea and Sevastopol, we will never recognize these illegal annexation attempts. We reiterate that Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric is unacceptable, and any use of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences. We recall the consensus achieved in Bali of all G20 members, including Russia, that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. We also recall the importance of the 77-year record of non-use of nuclear weapons. We deeply regret Russia’s decision to suspend the implementation of the new START treaty. We express our gravest concern over Russia’s continued occupation and control over the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. The situation can only be resolved by complete withdrawal of Russian troops and equipment from the premises. We support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to strengthen nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, including through the continuous presence of IAEA experts and the cessation of all combat operations in and around the plant and surrounding infrastructure. We welcome the resolution A/ES-11/L.7 titled “Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine” resolution which was adopted with the broad support of the international community at the Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly yesterday. We remain committed to diplomacy and welcome and support President Zelenskyy’s earnest efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter by outlining basic principles in his Peace Formula. With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we remain ready to reach arrangements together with Ukraine as well as interested countries and institutions on sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. We remain committed to coordinating efforts to meet Ukraine’s pressing military and defence equipment needs, with an immediate focus on air defence systems and capabilities, as well as necessary munitions and tanks. Building on the results achieved during the international conference held in Paris on 13 December, we also reaffirm our commitment to provide additional humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people, assistance to support Ukraine’s energy sector, and other assistance in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, including to ensure access to healthcare including mental health. We welcome the establishment of the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform to help advance Ukraine’s reform agenda, promote private sector led sustainable growth, and ensure close coordination among international donors to deliver assistance in a coherent, transparent and accountable manner. We will continue to help maintain Ukraine’s economic and financial stability, including addressing urgent short-term economic needs. In this context, we welcome the progress made by our Finance Ministers to increase our budget and economic support to 39 billion US dollars for 2023 and look forward to additional commitments. We ask Finance Ministers to continue engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukraine to deliver an ambitious program by the end of March 2023 and to continue working together, with the IMF and others for necessary budget support to Ukraine throughout and beyond 2023. We support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts, including the recovery of infrastructure destroyed by Russia’s aggression. It is essential that this process continues to involve a wide range of actors, including Ukrainian subnational entities and civil society, international financial institutions and organizations, and the private sector. The Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in London in June this year will offer a venue for Ukraine, international partners, private sector and civil society to further promote momentum behind Ukraine’s recovery. At the same time, we will continue to support the determination of Ukraine to build a society free from corruption. We support the Ukrainian government’s efforts to advance necessary institution-building in line with Ukraine’s European path, including in the judicial sector and promotion of the rule of law by empowering the independent Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions. In this regard, we reiterate our full confidence in the role of the G7 Ambassadors Group in supporting the implementation of the reform agenda. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the unprecedented and coordinated sanctions and other economic measures the G7 and partner countries have taken to date to further counter Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression. We remain committed to presenting a united front through the imposition of new coordinated economic actions against Russia in the days and weeks ahead. Specifically, we are taking the following new measures, consistent with our respective legal authorities and processes and international law:   (i) We will maintain, fully implement and expand the economic measures we have already imposed, including by preventing and responding to evasion and circumvention through the establishment of an Enforcement Coordination Mechanism to bolster compliance and enforcement of our measures and deny Russia the benefits of G7 economies. We call on third-countries or other international actors who seek to evade or undermine our measures to cease providing material support to Russia’s war, or face severe costs. To deter this activity around the world, we are taking actions against third-country actors materially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. We also commit to further aligning measures, such as transit or services bans, including to prevent Russian circumvention.   (ii) We are committed to preventing Russia from finding new ways to acquire advanced materials, technology, and military and industrial equipment from our jurisdictions that it can use to develop its industrial sectors and further its violations of international law. To this end, we will adopt further measures to prevent Russia from accessing inputs that support its military and manufacturing sectors, including, among others, industrial machinery, tools, construction equipment, and other technology Russia is exploiting to rebuild its war machine.   (iii) We will continue to reduce Russia’s revenue to finance its illegal aggression by taking appropriate steps to limit Russia’s energy revenue and future extractive capabilities, building on the measures we have taken so far, including export bans and the price cap for seaborne Russian-origin crude oil and refined oil products. We commit to taking action in a way that mitigates spillover effects for energy security, in particular for the most vulnerable and affected countries.   (iv) Given the significant revenues that Russia extracts from the export of diamonds, we will work collectively on further measures on Russian diamonds, including rough and polished ones, working closely to engage key partners.   (v) We are taking additional measures in relation to Russia’s financial sector to further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression. While coordinating to preserve financial channels for essential transactions, we will target additional Russian financial institutions to prevent circumvention of our measures.   (vi) We continue to impose targeted sanctions, including on those responsible for war crimes or human rights violations and abuses, exercising illegitimate authority in Ukraine, or who otherwise are profiting from the war. We will continue our efforts to ensure Russia pays for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction. Russia bears full responsibility for the war and the damage it has caused, including to Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. We collectively reaffirm the need for an international mechanism to register the damages Russia has inflicted. We are determined, consistent with our respective legal systems, that Russia’s sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until there is a resolution to the conflict that addresses Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity. Any resolution to the conflict must ensure Russia pays for the damage it has caused. We will work with partners beyond the G7 which hold those Russian sovereign assets to build the broadest coalition possible to advance these objectives. We are united in our determination to hold President Putin and those responsible to account, consistent with international law. We support investigations by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the Prosecutor-General of Ukraine, and other national prosecutors who are able to establish jurisdiction under national law. In this regard, we support exploring efforts to develop an international centre for the prosecution of the crime of aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) which is linked to the existing Joint Investigation Team supported by Eurojust. We deplore that many countries in the world have been severely affected by the repercussions of Russia’s war of aggression. Russia’s weaponisation of food has caused global economic hardship and a rise in global food prices, increasing the cost of living of people, compounding the economic vulnerabilities of developing countries, and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity around the world. We reiterate the G7’s united will to continue to provide rapid assistance, including food-related aid, to countries in need and affected populations and we will continue to design our restrictive measures to shield such populations from unintended consequences by ensuring food and fertilisers are carved out. We will continue to support food security and the availability and sustainable use of fertilisers to vulnerable countries in need of assistance and welcome the related work undertaken by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and other relevant agencies. We recognize the importance of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, President Zelenskyy’s Grain from Ukraine Initiative and the UN and Türkiye- brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI). In this context, we stress the importance of the automatic extension of the BSGI by 18 March and its expansion. We also express our profound sympathy for all those affected by the horrifying earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. We stand in solidarity with the people of Türkiye and Syria and pledge our continued support to tackling the consequences of this catastrophe. It is vital that humanitarian aid reaches all those who require it as efficiently as possible. We welcome the expansion of cross- border aid for an initial period of three months, and underscore that the humanitarian needs of those in northwest Syria should continue to be met. We also welcome the EU initiative to host a donor conference in support of the people in Türkiye and Syria in March. Above all, our solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law. ### ----------------------------------------------------------------   Russia vs USA: Military Comparison 2023 c

 



 





 

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

On-the-Record Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on
President Biden’s Trip to Ukraine

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

Via Teleconference

 

7:42 A.M. EST   MS. WATSON:  Good morning, everyone.  Thanks for joining our call on short notice.  This is Adrienne Watson with the NSC.   To kick things off, we just want to go over the ground rules really quickly.  This call is on the record.  The contents of the call are embargoed until the call ends.  To ask a question, just raise your hand.   Our speakers today are White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer.   With that, that I’ll turn it over to Kate.   MS. BEDINGFIELD:  Great.  Thanks, Adrienne.  Hi, everyone.  Thanks for jumping on, on short notice.  So I just wanted to do a little table set at the top here, and then I’ll turn it over to Jake and Jon for some additional points.   But, you know, so this trip today was a bold and strong move on President Biden’s part in the face of extreme difficulty, the extreme difficulty of making this trip as President of the United States.  It was logistically complicated and difficult, and it sends an incredibly powerful message that President Biden has faith in the Ukrainian people and is unwavering in his commitment to stand by them.   You know, a visit from a U.S. President to an active warzone like this is historic and unprecedented and, as I say, required a great deal of careful planning.   Unlike previous visits from Presidents to warzones, like Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. obviously does not have a military presence on the ground in Ukraine, which made a visit from a sitting President all the more challenging.   But this was a risk that Joe Biden wanted to take.  It’s important to him to show up, even when it’s hard, and he directed his team to make it happen, no matter how challenging the logistics.  He wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Zelenskyy and remind the world, as we approach the one-year anniversary of the invasion, that Kyiv still stands and the United States will not be deterred from standing with Ukraine.  And he wanted to demonstrate the strength of his commitment to his strategy of holding the West together in a united front against Putin.   So it was bold, it was risky, and it should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that Joe Biden is a leader who takes commitment seriously, and the U.S. is committed to continuing to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.   So with that, I’m going to turn it over to Jake Sullivan for some additional thoughts.   MR. SULLIVAN:  Thanks, Kate.  And hi, everybody.  And I hope I’m able to stay on the call for as long as I can, given access to cell service.   Let me just start by reiterating something Kate said, which is that this was a historic visit, unprecedented in modern times, to have the President of the United States visit the capital of a country at war where the United States military does not control the critical infrastructure.   And that required a security, operational, and logistical effort from professionals across the U.S. government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and make it a manageable level of risk.   But, of course, there was still risk and is still risk in an endeavor like this.  And President Biden felt that it was important to make this trip because of the critical juncture that we find ourselves at as we approach the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.   And what he wanted to do in Kyiv was to send a clear, unmistakable message of enduring American support for Ukraine; a clear, unmistakable message of the unity of the West and (inaudible) international community in standing behind Ukraine and standing up to Russian aggression; and also to be able to stand there next to President Zelenskyy in a free Kyiv to not just tell but to show the world, through a powerful demonstration, that Ukraine is successfully resisting Russian aggression and Russia is suffering strategic failure in Ukraine.   And as I said, though, the impending one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion really presented a crucial moment to do this.  One year ago this week, as the President said in his remarks in Kyiv, he spoke with President Zelenskyy as Russian forces were moving across the border, and President Zelenskyy said to him, “I’m not sure when we’re going to be able to speak again.”   So, one year later, the two men were face-to-face standing together in Kyiv, in a free and independent city, in a free and independent country.  And President Biden made clear in his remarks that there will be difficult times ahead, that a portion of Ukraine is under Russian occupation, that Russia continues to brutalize civilian populations across the country.   And so this was not a celebration but an affirmation of commitment of the resilience of the Ukrainian people, of the courage and bravery they’ve shown, and also an affirmation of the fact that the United States and our allies and partners have mobilized unprecedented levels of military, economic, and humanitarian support to provide the Ukrainian people with the tools that they’ve needed to defend their country, their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.   In Kyiv, President Biden had the opportunity to meet the President and the First Lady, and then to sit in an extended session with President Zelenskyy to talk about all aspects of the ongoing war.  They spent time talking about the coming months, in terms of the battlefield, and what Ukraine will need in terms of capabilities to be able to succeed on the battlefield.   They talked about Ukraine’s needs in terms of energy, infrastructure, economic support, humanitarian needs.  And they also talked about the political side of this, including the upcoming U.N. General Assembly session on Ukraine, as well as Ukraine’s Peace Formula and Ukraine’s efforts to rally international support for a just and sustainable and durable peace built on the principles of the U.N. Charter, chief among them sovereignty and territorial integrity.   President Biden also had the chance to get briefed by a number of members of President Zelenskyy’s team and, you know, to have a detailed discussion of the types of steps that are going to be required in the weeks and months ahead from the United States and from our international partners in the G7 and NATO and elsewhere to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to sustain the level of effort going forward that we have seen over the course of the past year, and then some.   And President Biden also had the opportunity to pay his respects to the fallen, to those who have given their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice in service of defending Ukraine.  He also had the chance to stand, as I said, next to President Zelenskyy and send a clear message that the United States will be with Ukraine for as long as it takes and the United States will continue to hold the international community and, in particular, this large and diverse coalition of countries together that has been supporting Ukraine for these past many months.   Finally, President Biden really reinforced a point that he will make again when he speaks in Warsaw tomorrow, which is that President Putin thought that Ukraine would cower and that the West would be divided, indeed that the West would be weak.  And he got the opposite of that across the board.   And this visit today was really an effort, again, as I said before, to show and not just tell that we will continue to stand up and stand strong and that we will do so, as I said, for as long as it takes.   So with that, let me — let me turn it over to Jon, and we’d be happy to take your questions.   MR. FINER:  Thanks, Jake.  Jake and Kate really said it all, but I’ll just make a few quick additional points.   They each talked about some of the unusual and maybe unprecedented aspects of this visit, but I’ll mention a couple of others, which is — which are: In addition to, obviously, lack of military footprint in Ukraine, the United States also has a very light embassy footprint compared to the massive operations in Afghanistan and Iraq during wartime visits by Presidents to those places.   And the traveling party accompanying the President was extremely small, as well, consisting basically of a handful of his closest aides, small medical team, photographer, and the security package.   So this entire operation, which was meticulously planned — and I’ll say a bit more about that in a second — was done just at much smaller scale than previous such visits by Presidents to these places, just given the constraints of operating in Kyiv and in the rest of Ukraine during conflict.   In terms of the planning, again, this visit was meticulously planned over a period of months, involving several offices in the White House — of course, the Chief of Staff’s office, the NSC, and White House Military Office — as well as a small number of colleagues from the Pentagon, the Secret Service, and of course, the intelligence community, which offered threat assessments on the visit.   Only a handful of people in each of these buildings was involved in the planning for operational security.  The President was fully briefed on each stage of the plan and any potential contingencies, and then made the final “go” or “no go” decision after a huddle in the Oval Office and by phone with some key members of his national security cabinet on Friday.   Obviously, this was all worked very closely between the White House and the highest levels of the Ukrainian government, who have become quite adept at hosting high-level visitors, although not one quite like this, and with our embassy in Kyiv, which, again, is small but highly capable, playing a key role as an intermediary.   And with that, I’ll turn it back to Adrienne.   MS. WATSON:  Thanks, Jon.  We have a couple of minutes for questions.  First question, Nancy Cordes with CBS.  Your line should be unmuted.   Q    Sorry, I had to unmute manually.  Okay, so my question is — thank you so much for doing this.  I’m wondering if you gave the Russians any kind of heads up that the President was going to be in Kyiv.  And if not, what was your level of concern about the fact that they would try to act in some way while you were there, either with aggression in Kyiv or elsewhere in the country?  Were you operating under the assumption, if you didn’t give them a heads up, that they knew that you were there?   MR. SULLIVAN:  Nancy, it’s Jake.  We did notify the Russians that President Biden would be traveling to Kyiv.  We did so some hours before his departure for de-confliction purposes.   And because of the sensitive nature of those communications, I won’t get into how they responded or what the precise nature of our message was, but I can confirm that we provided that notification.   MS. WATSON:  Thanks, Nancy.  Next question to Aamer with the AP.  Aamer, your line is unmuted.   Q    Thank you.  On the logistical aspect, could you confirm if — how — offer a little bit more detail on how the President and the package got there?  Was there trains or helicopters?  Or what was used to get there?   And then, secondly, substantively on Ukraine’s future needs, were ATACMS and F-16s or fighter jets discussed?  And was there any resolution on Zelenskyy’s desire to get those?  Thank you.   MS. BEDINGFIELD:  So, on the logistics, just quickly, I’ll say I anticipate that we’ll have more detail and that the print pooler, who was traveling with the President, will have more detail in the coming days.   But given that we’re allowing the trip to play out and finish out, we are holding back on some of those trans- — modes of — mode of transportation details and other specific logistical details until the trip is fully complete.   So I would anticipate that we will have more color for you on that in the coming days, when it’s safe to do so, Aamer.   MR. SULLIVAN:  Aamer, it’s Jake.  The two presidents had a detailed discussion of the battlefield situation, of Ukraine’s objectives, of the military support and assistance we’ve already provided, and of capabilities going forward.   I’m not going to get into the specifics of those because we’re not announcing new capabilities today.  But what I will say is that there was a good discussion on the subject.  I think the two presidents both laid out their perspectives on a number of different capabilities that have been thrown around in the press, both recently and over the course of several months.  And I will leave it at that.   MS. WATSON:  And then one more question to Jeremy Diamond with CNN.  Jeremy, you should be unmuted.   Q    Hey, thanks so much for doing this.  I’m wondering if you can tell us a little bit more about the deliberations about getting the President to Kyiv.  Was Secret Service and the Pentagon — were they all on board with the plan for the President to go to Kyiv?  Or did the President have to overrule security officials in any way?  Was there a consideration of going to somewhere closer to the border, like Lviv, for example?  If you could get into that.   And then, Jake, I’m just wondering if you can paint a picture for us a little bit about what it was like being on the plane with the President for this very secretive trip and also what type of plane was used to get the President out of Washington.   MR. SULLIVAN:  I’ll take the second one first.  So as Kate said, we’ll hold off on going into real detail on the various elements of the trip and modalities and modes of transport and the like until, basically, we get the green light from the security folks to be able to share all of that.  We will share it, but we just want to make sure that we do so once, you know, we feel that it’s operationally safe to do so.   I can say that, coming over, the President was very focused on making sure that he made the most of his time on the ground, which he knew was going to be limited.  So he was quite focused on how he was going to approach his conversation with President Zelenskyy and, in part, how the two of them were really going to look out over the course of 2023 and try to come to a common understanding of what the objectives are, where Ukraine is trying to get and how the United States can most effectively support them alongside our allies and partners in getting to where it wants to get.   He was excited about making the trip.  I think he felt it was really important to stand up next to President Zelenskyy and speak the way that he did today and convey the messages that you heard from him and that, you know, I’ve just put in some context.   So, frankly, the trip from Washington was a trip filled with real anticipation, that this was an important moment and that the President was rising to the moment and felt he had an important mission to undertake, and he was eager to do it.   But he wanted to do it, characteristically, by delving into the details, by knowing the specifics of — by being sure that he was going to make the most of every moment.   And, you know, what I will say is that, on the question of deliberations, the President proceeded with the confidence that his security team was able to bring risk to a manageable level, and that was what ultimately led him to make the call to go.   And I am not going to get into the specifics of who said what to him in the Oval, particularly on things as sensitive as his security.  I will just say that he got a full presentation of a very good and very effective operational security plan.  He heard that presentation.  He was satisfied that the risk was manageable.  And he ultimately made the determination (inaudible).   MS. WATSON:  All right.  Thank you so much to everybody for joining the call this morning.  I know that there are more questions.  You have our contact info for follow-up.  And then we will get in touch as soon as possible with more information as well.  The embargo on the call is lifted now.  Thank you very much.   8:01 A.M. EST   ----------------------------------------------------------------   EVAN VUCCI, JOHN LEICESTER and ZEKE MILLER Mon, February 20, 2023 at 7:45 AM PST   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Joe Biden’s motorcade slipped out of the White House around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. No big, flashy Air Force One for this trip -– the president vanished into the darkness on an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used for domestic trips to smaller airports.   The next time he turned up — 20 hours later — it was in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine.   Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday was the first time in modern history that a U.S. leader visited a warzone outside the aegis of the U.S. military — a feat the White House said carried some risk even though Moscow was given a heads-up.   Over the next five hours, the president made multiple stops around town — ferried about in a black SUV rather than the presidential limousine — without any announcement to the Ukrainian public that he was there. But all that activity attracted enough attention that word of his presence leaked out well before he could get back to Poland, which was the original plan. Aides at the White House were surprised the secret held as long as it did.   But Russia knew what the Ukrainian public did not. U.S. officials had given Moscow notice of Biden's trip.   The president had been itching since last year to join the parade of other Western officials who have visited Kyiv to pledge support standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital.   Biden's planned trip to Warsaw, Poland, and the Presidents' Day holiday provided an obvious opening to tack on a stop in Kyiv. A small group of senior officials at the White House and across U.S. national security agencies set about working in secret for months to make it happen, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday. Biden only gave the final sign-off on Friday.   Sullivan said the trip “required a security, operational, and logistical effort from professionals across the U.S. government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and make it a manageable risk.”   Once Biden was secreted aboard the Air Force jet, the call sign “SAM060,” for Special Air Mission, was used for the plane instead of the usual “Air Force One.” It took off from Joint Base Andrews at 4:15 a.m. Eastern time.   After a refueling stop in Germany, Biden’s aircraft switched off its transponder for the roughly hour-long flight to Rzeszow, Poland, the airport that has served as the gateway for billions of dollars in Western arms and VIP visitors into Ukraine.   He arrived in Kyiv at 8 a.m. Monday and was greeted by Ambassador Bridget Brink and entered his motorcade for the drive to Mariinsky Palace. Even while he was on the ground in Ukraine, flights transporting military equipment and other goods were continuing unabated to Rzeszow from Western cities.   Meanwhile, in Kyiv, many main streets and central blocks were cordoned off without explanation. People started sharing videos of long motorcades of cars speeding along streets where access was restricted — the first clues that Biden had arrived.   Biden traveled with a far smaller than usual retinue: Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and the director of Oval Office operations, Annie Tomasini. They were joined by his Secret Service detail, the military aide carrying the so-called “nuclear football,” a small medical team and the official White House photographer.   Only two journalists were on board instead of the usual complement of 13. Their electronic devices were powered off and turned over to the White House for the duration of the trip into Ukraine. A small number of journalists based in Ukraine were summoned to a downtown hotel on Monday morning to join them, not informed that Biden was visiting until shortly before his arrival.   Even with Western surface-to-air missile systems bolstering Ukraine’s defenses, it was rare for a U.S. leader to travel to a conflict zone where the U.S. or its allies did not have control over the airspace.   The U.S. military does not have a presence in Ukraine other than a small detachment of Marines guarding the embassy in Kyiv, making Biden’s visit more complicated than visits by prior U.S. leaders to war zones.   “We did notify the Russians that President Biden will be traveling to Kyiv,” Sullivan told reporters. “We did so some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes.” He declined to specify the exact message or to whom it was delivered but said the heads-up was to avoid any miscalculation that could bring the two nuclear-armed nations into direct conflict.   While Biden was in Kyiv, U.S. surveillance planes, including E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an electronic RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, were keeping watch over Kyiv from Polish airspace.   The sealing off of Kyiv roads that are usually humming with traffic brought an eerie calm to the center of the capital. It was so quiet that crows could be heard cawing as Biden and Zelenskyy walked from their motorcade to the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral under skies as blue as the outer walls of the cathedral itself.   “Let’s walk in and take a look,” Biden said, wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses against the glare. The presidents disappeared inside as heavily armed soldiers stood guard outside.   Cathedral bells chirped at the stroke of 11:30 a.m. followed shortly by air raid alarms, at 11:34 a.m., just before the men reemerged. The sirens were first a distant howl rising over the city, followed seconds later by alarms from mobile phone apps wailing from people’s pockets.   Those alarms are voiced by “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, and his Luke Skywalker voice urged people to take cover, warning: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”   The two leaders walked at a measured pace with no outward signs of concern through the cathedral's arched front gate onto the square in front, where the rusting hulks of destroyed Russian tanks and other armored vehicles have been stationed as grim reminders of the war.   When the square isn’t blocked off, as it was during the leaders’ visit, people come to look at the vehicles, many taking selfies.   Biden appeared to pay the hulks no mind as he and Zelenskyy followed behind honor guards carrying two wreaths to the wall of remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014, the year Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine.   It was only then that the first images of Biden in the capital popped up on Ukrainian social media and the secret visit became global news.   The all-clear notice, also voiced by Hamill, sounded at 1:07 p.m., long after Biden had headed to the U.S. Embassy for a brief stop before departing the country.   “The air alert is over," Hamill said. “May the force be with you.”   ___   Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci reported from aboard Biden's aircraft and in Kyiv. Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed from Washington.

 

 

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Statement from President Joe Biden on
Travel to Kyiv, Ukraine

 

BRIEFING ROOM

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

 

NATO Secretary General pre-ministerial press conference,
13 FEB 2023

Secretary Antony J. Blinken And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg At a Joint Press Availability

REMARKS

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ROOM 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

January 26, 2023    

Readout of Inaugural Meeting of Ukraine Donor Coordination
Platform Steering Committee

Briefing Room  

Statements and Releases  

Today, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Mike Pyle co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the Ukraine Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform’s Steering Committee, delivering on G7 Leaders’ December 2022 commitment and exemplifying the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwavering support for Ukraine. Representatives from G7 countries, the Government of Ukraine, and the international financial institutions discussed how to better coordinate economic support for Ukraine’s immediate financing needs and future economic recovery and reconstruction efforts. They committed to work closely with Ukrainian authorities to define, prioritize, and sequence strategic economic needs; to further Ukraine’s reform ambitions; and to deliver economic assistance to stabilize Ukraine’s economy and underpin a sustainable and inclusive recovery. Pyle commended the Government of Ukraine’s adept management of its economy, despite incredibly difficult circumstances, and its vision for a broad-based economic reform agenda. He welcomed opening remarks from the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, and appreciated working with his co-chairs, Finance Minister of Ukraine, Sergii Marchenko, and the European Commission Director General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Gert Jan Koopman, and in close consultation with Japan in its G7 Presidency role. Collaboration will continue in the coming weeks, and the Steering Committee will hold its next meeting in March.

--------------------------------------------------.

Russian invasion of Ukraine Time line:  From November 2022 to January 26th, 2023

14 November

The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution that holds Russia responsible for all damage caused to Ukraine by the invasion and demands reparations.

15 November

See also: October–November 2022 nationwide missile strikes on Ukraine

Fire after strike on an infrastructure facility in Kyiv Oblast

Russia launched about 85 to 100 missiles at a number of Ukrainian cities. The recent strategic bombing campaign has caused severe shortages of electricity and water at multiple cities.  According to the Ukrainian Air Force some 77 of 96 Russian missiles were shot down. A Pentagon official claims the Russian plan is to exhaust the Ukrainian air defences. At one stage some 50 missiles were in combat "within minutes" near the Polish border.

A missile crossed over Polish borders and struck the village of Przewodów, killing two civilians. Top leaders in Poland held an emergency meeting. Initial assessments by the United States found that the missile was likely to have been an air defence missile fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile.

According to Ukraine's Operational Command South, Ukrainian rocket and artillery units attacked Russian positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River and in the area of the Kinburn Spit.

17 November

After the missile strikes, more than 10 million people were without power by 17 November, but a day later Ukrainian officials reported that electricity had already been restored to "nearly 100%" of Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian officials, one of the wrecks of missiles found after a missile attack earlier that day is that of an "X-55/Kh-55" cruise missile. These missiles are apparently incapable of carrying a conventional warhead, but this specific missile had an "imitation block" (model for training) of a nuclear bomb. They believe that the missile was meant to help overwhelm Ukraine's missile defenses.

20 November

New Zealand Defence Minister Peeni Henare became the first NZ minister to visit Kyiv. He has indicated that New Zealand is prepared to consider more aid.[16]

23 November

Hospital in Vilniansk after missile strike on 23 November

The European Parliament declared Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism" for the way Russia has systematically attacked civilians and committed war crimes. This declaration is itself symbolic, but calls for more sanctions.

The Russian military has launched 65 to 70 missiles at civilian settlements and energy infrastructure, although 51 of those were said to have been shot down. The attack caused blackouts over much of Ukraine and forced several nuclear power plants to shut down. Much of Moldova was also experiencing blackouts due to the attack-related power grid failure in Ukraine.

25 November

According to U.S. and Ukrainian officials, about 1/3 of Western-supplied artillery is always out of action in Ukraine due to wear-related mechanical problems. The United States European Command is said to have a repair base in Poland, but it is problematic to transport the weapons there from the front.

28 November

The Russian army was actively pushing on both sides of Bakhmut, a city in the immediate vicinity of the front on the Ukrainian side. The Russians were trying to encircle the town, but according to observers, they were making very slow progress, so there was no immediate danger to the settlement and the Russians might not be able to encircle it at the current rate.

29 November

Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of NATO, made a speech at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers at Bucharest, in which he expressed alliance commitment to support Ukraine for as long as is required, because allowing Russia to win would only embolden Putin.[26] He also promised Ukraine that NATO would one day accept them as a member and that Putin cannot deny sovereign nations the right to make their own sovereign decisions that are not a threat to Russia. He also speculated that the main challenges to Putin are democracy and freedom.

30 November

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, speaking in the name of the EU, suggested the creation of a UN court to investigate war crimes committed by Russia. Russia does not recognize the International Criminal Court, so the European Commission has proposed two possible alternative ways to hold Russia accountable: either to create a court that would be set up by international treaties, or to create an international court with a number of judges from several countries. She estimated the war-damage to Ukraine is about 600 billion Euros. She proposed a financial plan to help pay for this. She pointed out that the EU has frozen 300 billion Euros worth of Russian central bank reserves and 20 billion Euros worth of money belonging to Russias oligarchs, which she suggested should be invested. The investments could be given to Ukraine when sanctions are lifted. The original statement by Ursula von der Leyen included a claim that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 20,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed so far in the war. This angered unspecified Ukrainian military officials, who are reported to have said that the death toll is classified information. In response, the European Commission edited the video of von der Leyen's speech to remove this information. Official publications of the text of the speech was also edited to omit the numbers.

December 2022

2 December

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak claims that 10–13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since 24 February, with a figure last given in August of 9,000.[34]

5 December

Explosions were reported at two Russian airbases: the one at Engels-2 reportedly damaged two Tu-95s according to Baza; the other at the Dyagilevo military airbase near Ryazan, destroyed a fuel truck and killed three, injuring five. Russian Minisitry of Defence stated Ukraine attempted to strike Russia's long-range aviation bombers with Soviet-made jet drones, and that the drones were subsequently shot down at low altitude when approaching the air bases. The attack involved the use of Tu-141 drones that were taken out of storage. They appear to have been fitted with improvised explosives. While no significant damage or burn marks are visible on satellite images of the Engels-2 air base, at least one Tu-22M3 bomber was visually confirmed to be slightly damaged at the Dyagilevo air base.

Following the attacks, Russia launched a renewed wave of missile strikes against Ukraine, consisting of about 70 cruise misilles. Ukraine claimed 60 missiles have been shot down, Russia claimed 17 targets have been hit on the ground.  As a result, a missile fell again within the borders of Moldova, near the city of Briceni.

6 December

The Russian governor of Kursk, Roman Starovoyt, claimed that a Ukrainian drone attack destroyed an oil tank near an airbase. No reports of casualties and the fire was under control. No comment from Ukraine on these claims.

7 December

Gathered remains of Russian Uragan, Smerch, and S-300 rockets in Kharkiv. 52,000 explosive objects were disposed as of in the Kharkiv region as of 7 December 2022.

President Putin has acknowledged that the "special military operation" is taking longer than expected, however the Russian nuclear arsenal is preventing the conflict from escalating. As in June 2022, he made another reference to the expansion of the Russian Empire by Peter the Great.

9 December

Putin revealed that he is considering adopting the concept of the "preemptive strike" from the U.S. According to him, the U.S. openly discussed this policy some years ago, but currently Russia is only just thinking about it. A few hours after Putin's statement, Jens Stoltenberg, general secretary of NATO, warned that there's a real possibility of a major war between Russia and NATO.

Russia re-occupied the previously liberated Dnieper river island of Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin close to Kherson. This was confirmed by presidential advisor Oleksii Arestovych and Lieutenant Colonel Konstiantyn Mashovets, as well as some unofficial Russian sources. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed on 15 December that Russia had begun the process of forcibly deporting the island's civilian residents.

10 December

Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit two energy facilities in Odesa, leaving all non-critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian port without power and 1.5 million people without electricity.

Ukraine launched a missile attack on the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol including at a Russian military barracks; according to Melitopol's Russia-installed administrators, four missiles hit the city, killing two people. In addition, explosions were reported in Donetsk and Crimea.

11 December

Ukraine President Zelenskyy said that Russian forces have turned the city of Bakhmut into "burned ruins".

12 December

President Zelenskyy appealed to the G7 for tanks, artillery and long range weapons. In response, the G7 pledged to meet Ukraine's requirements.

Luhansk's exiled Governor Serhiy Haidai claimed that Ukraine's armed forces killed personnel from the Wagner Group, a private military company in the Luhansk Region.

The UK sanctioned Russian military commanders for missile attacks and Iranian businessmen for the production and supply of military drones. EU sanctioned 20 individuals and one entity of Iran over human rights abuse. Ministers of the European Union of Foreign Affairs have also claimed that they have proofs to support Iran supplying Shahed-136 drones to Russia despite denials from both countries.

13 December

Robert Magowan, a British lieutenant general and former commander of the Royal Marines, revealed that the Royal Marines have several times been involved in "secret operations" in Ukraine, in "extremely sensitive context", involving "a high level of political and military risk".

Denis Pushilin, Acting head of Donetsk's People of Republic claimed that half of the Donetsk region is under Russian control.

14 December

Three explosions were heard in the centre of Kyiv; President Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainian air defence forces shot down 13 Iranian Shahed drones.

Reports emerged that U.S. officials were finalising and preparing to announce a plan to provide Ukraine with the sophisticated Patriot air defence system, agreeing to an urgent request from Ukrainian leaders amid increasing Russian missile attacks against Ukraine's infrastructure. Biden administration was reluctant to deploy the system for months, as a Patriot battery complex would need at least 90 trained troops to operate and maintain it, along with concerns that it would provoke Russia to escalate.

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets claimed that a children's torture chamber had been uncovered in Kherson.

Andrii Yermak, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that they have released around 64 military personnel and a US Citizen during a prisoner swap deal with Russia.

15 December

Zelenskyy stated that Russia should start to withdraw their troops by Christmas as a step to end the conflict. Russia responded "No Christmas Ceasefire" until Ukraine accepts loss of territory.

The Kyiv School of Economics published a report estimating that, as of November 2022, Russia's invasion had caused $136 billion in direct damage to Ukraine's infrastructure. Energy infrastructure, industry, public, and private enterprises were impacted the most.

USAID delivered four excavators and over 130 generators to Kyiv for use in "boiler houses and heat supply stations" according to mayor Vitali Klitschko.

The recently liberated city of Kherson was entirely without power following recent Russian shelling, which killed at least two people. The Kherson military administration stated that the city was hit 86 times with "artillery, MLRS, tanks, mortars and UAVs," in the past 24 hours.

In the Donbas, Ukrainian forces bombarded Donetsk city in the largest wave of shelling seen since 2014, according to mayor Alexey Kulemzin.

Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, published a detailed summary of 441 killings including 8 girls during the conflict.

United States had expanded its training to 500 Ukrainians each month at Germany.

16 December

Civilians shelter in the Kyiv Metro during a Russian missile attack, 16 December

Russia launched around 76 missiles on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, and Kremenchuk, destroying infrastructure. Reports suggest at least four were killed in Kryvyi Rih.[78][79][80] These 76 missiles were fired at 9 power plants; Ukraine claims 60 were intercepted.

A Ukrainian strike on the village of Lantrativka, in Luhansk Oblast, officially kills 11 Russian trench diggers, but eyewitnesses claim the number is 84 killed.

17 December

Missiles were launched targeting infrastructure on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporhizhzhia. Kyiv council member Ksenia Semenova stated that approximately 60% of residents were without power and 70% were without water.[83] Ukraine restored power and water to approximately 6 million residents in 24 hours.  37 out of the 40 missiles fired at Kyiv were intercepted.

Russia started a new campaign on TV to recruit more soldiers. In one advertisement, some men leave for Georgia. An old woman drops her groceries and men who have not left help her pick them up. She then says: "The boys have left, the men stayed."

18 December

The Russian government recruited musicians to boost morale. The so-called "front-line creative brigade" will be made up from mobilised soldiers and musicians who have volunteered.

19 December

Building of Kherson Oblast State Administration after Russian strike on 19 December

According to Ukrainian Air Force, Russia attacked Ukraine's infrastructure with 35 Iranian kamikaze drones, 30 of which are said to be shot down. 23 of the drones attacked Kyiv (according to the city officials, 18 of them were shot down). An infrastructure facility was damaged, leaving three areas in Kyiv without power supply.[88] Energy shortages caused interruptions in heat and water supply. Mykolaiv and Kherson regions were also attacked.[91] Building of Kherson Oblast State Administration was partially destroyed.

20 December

President Putin stated that the situation is "extremely difficult" in the four areas of Russia-annexed Ukraine. Putin ordered the Federal Security Services to step up surveillance at the country's borders to combat "emergence of new threats" from abroad and traitors.

President Zelenskyy visited the Bakhmut region.

Russian energy exporter Gazprom said that despite a fatal explosion at the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline they were able to supply gas to their customers using parallel pipelines without any shortages.

21 December

The United States is aiming to provide military aid of $1.8 billion USD including the Patriot missile system.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy met United States President Biden during his 2022 visit and addressed a joint session of the US Congress after Speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi invited President Zelenskyy.

22 December

United States National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby estimated that the Wagner Group deployed 40,000 mercenaries of recruited convicts and 10,000 mercenaries of contractors. The North Korean Foreign ministry denied US claims that it was supplying "infantry rockets and missiles into Russia".

Speaking to reporters, President Putin referred to the conflict in Ukraine as a "war" and also said that the U.S. Patriot system is "old and does not work as well as the Russian S-300 missile system". Critics stated that referring to the conflict as a "war" is considered a crime under a censorship law signed in March 2022, with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, and called for the prosecution of President Putin.

Ukrainian game developer Volodymyr Yezhov is killed defending Bakhmut

23 December

The Netherlands pledged up to 2.5 billion euros to help Ukraine in 2023. This aid will pay for military equipment and rebuilding critical infrastructure. President Zelenskyy thanked them for this pledge.

24 December

Kherson after the shelling

Russian forces shelled Kherson leaving 10 dead and 55 injured according to the Ukrainian President and officials.  President Zelenskyy stated that the shelling first hit a department store and then a market.

The Russian army has placed three battalions near the Ukraine border, inside Belarus. The Ukrainian military has made note of this and considered further securing the northern border.

Pavel Antov, a Russian billionaire and member of the United Russia party for a regional parliament, has died after a fall from a hotel in India. Describe as a "sausage magnate", Antov is about the 12th high-profile Russian businessman to have died due to suicide or an accident. Having previously made anti-war comments on WhatsApp, he claimed it was due to a "technical error". Another Russian, and friend of Antov's, Vladimir Budanov also died at the same hotel just two days before.

25 December

President Putin stated that Russia is ready for negotiation, but that Kyiv and its Western backers refused to engage in talks.[113] Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused the West of only provoking the war in Ukraine, rather than mediating it. Erdogan cited the Black Sea Grain Initiative as an example of Turkey's role in mediating.

26 December

Russia claims to have shot down a Ukrainian drone near the Engels-2 (air base). The governor of the region, Roman Busargin, reported no damage to "civilian infrastructure". Three people from the "technical staff" were killed by falling drone wreckage. According to the Russian defence ministry, "a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region." Ukrainian and Russian social media accounts report a number of bombers have been destroyed; however Reuters couldn't confirm these claims.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) reported four Ukrainian saboteurs were killed by landmines during a failed cross-border operation into the Bryansk region. The Ukrainians were wearing winter camouflage and carrying German SIG Sauer firearms, navigation equipment, and four bombs.

Ukraine has asked the United Nations to expel Russia from the United Nations Security Council, claiming that Russia has illegally taken the seat of the USSR and is a hostile nation that wages illegal wars.

27 December

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Ukraine must accept Moscow's peace demands: "Our proposals for the demilitarisation and denazification of the territories controlled by the regime, the elimination of threats to Russia's security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well known to the enemy. The point is simple: Fulfil them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army."

Russia banned crude oil sales to price cap nations which includes G7, European Union, and Australia. President Putin issued a decree that ban will be effective from 1 February 2023 up to 5 months and stated that sale ban could be lifted to individuals through "specific reasons".

28 December

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the death of Sage O’Donnell, the fourth Australian to die fighting for Ukraine.

Russian health ministry will permit Russian soldiers who had been fighting in Ukraine to have their sperm frozen in cryobanks for free.

Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov said that at present, neither Ukraine nor Russian forces were able to advance.

29 December

The Indian Police launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of two Russians in India, including war critic and billionaire Pavel Antov.

Ukraine Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak stated that over 120 missiles were launched at infrastructure facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv and other cities. Ukraine claimed that 54 of 69 missiles were shot down and three people died in Kyiv; 90% of Lviv and 40% of Kyiv were without power.

Belarus reported that they shot down an S-300 anti-aircraft missile that had been launched targeting rural Belarus.

The Russian regional governor, Roman Busargin, claimed that a Ukrainian drone was shot down near the Engels-2 Air Base with only slight damage to residential housing and no injuries. There were unverified reports on social media of air raid sirens and an explosion.

30 December

Ukrainian army claimed to have shot down 16 drones launched by Russian forces at Kyiv and other cities. Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko, stated that two were shot down outside Kyiv while five were shot down "over" Kyiv.

President Putin and President Xi Jinping held talks via video link in which the latter reassured the former that he would maintain an "objective and fair stance" regarding the situation, according to CCTV.

31 December

The head of Ukraine's armed forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, claimed that air defences had shot down 12 of 20 Russian cruise missiles. Vitaly Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv, stated that a series of explosions directed at infrastructure killed at least one person and wounded twenty, including a Japanese journalist. A drone strike on Khmelnytskyi injured two persons.

Russia announced that armed forces fighting in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia will have their income tax exempted.

January 2023

1 January

See also: Makiivka military quarters shelling

The Ukrainian military claimed to have killed 400 Russian soldiers with another 300 being wounded during a missile attack on Makiivka in occupied Donetsk. Daniil Bezsonov, a senior Russian-backed official, blamed the attack on the "American HIMARS", claiming that some 25 rockets were fired at the region. Russia's Ministry of Defence confirmed that a total of 63 Russian soldiers had died in the attack after 6 rockets had been fired.  The barracks was based next to an ammunition dump, according to Russian milbloggers, which may explain the large explosion. Bezsonov has called for the military officers responsible to be "punished". The General Staff of Ukraine claimed 10 vehicles destroyed.  On 3 January the Russian Ministry of Defence gave an updated figure of 89 dead.

Ukraine armed forces claimed that they had shot down 45 kamikaze drones.  The Russian attack came several hours after the Ukrainian attack on Makiivka. According to the Mayor of Kyiv, one man was injured by falling debris.

Russian Governor Alexander Bogomaz claimed that Ukraine launched a drone attack on an electrical facility in the Klimovsky District.

2 January

According to TASS, Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone near the city of Voronezh.

4 January

France announced that it would send AMX-10 RC and ACMAT Bastion to Ukraine.

5 January

Russian Orthodox Church Primate Patriarch Kirill called for a Christmas ceasefire so that people could attend Orthodox Christmas services on 6–7 January. Turkish President Erdogan also called for a "unilateral cease-fire"; afterwards, President Putin ordered Russian armed forces to hold a 36-hour cease-fire for the Russian Orthodox Christmas. Ukraine rejected Russia's cease-fire proposal. The UK MoD said that fighting had "continued at a routine level into the Orthodox Christmas period."

The first group of 24 prisoners recruited by PMC Wagner, fighting in Ukraine, have finished their six months contracts and have been released with full amnesty for their past crimes.

In a joint statement President Biden and Chancellor Scholz announced that the German government had decided to provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile system and 40 Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles, while the United States government would provide around 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

6 January

The United States Department of Defence awarded a $40 million contract to L3Harris to provide Ukraine with 4 VAMPIRE kits (vehicle-mountable light guided missile system) in mid 2023 and 10 by 2023 year-end.

8 January

The Russian ministry of defence claimed that more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the attack on barracks in Kramatorsk.[156] Kramatorsk's Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko stated that the attack only damaged two buildings and there was no evidence of casualties. A Finnish and more than one Reuters journalist visited the site and found out that an S-300 had struck an empty school building, with no signs of casualties.

9 January

Russia and Ukraine conducted their 36th prisoner swap of the conflict, with each side trading 50 POWs to the other.

Ukraine's Regional prosecutor office claimed that an S-300 fired from Belgorod Oblast hit a market in Shevchenkove, killing two women, wounding a child, and reportedly damaging a shopping centre.

A spokesperson stated that Germany has no plans to provide the Leopard 2 to Ukraine.

10 January

Ukrainian steel production was reduced by about 70% in 2022 as a result of the conflict.

US and Ukrainian officials stated that Russian artillery fire had declined nearly 75% in some places.

The UK says most of Soledar is under Russian control, whereas Wagner claims all.

11 January

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Valery Gerasimov in place of Sergey Surovikin as overall commander of the war against Ukraine. Surovikin will serve as Gerasimov's deputy.

Wagner Group claims around 500 Ukrainians were killed during the battle of Soledar.

12 January

Governor of Donetsk Pavlo Kyrylenko stated that around 100 Russian soldiers had been killed in the Soledar area.

13 January

The Russian Military stated that it captured Soledar, but Ukraine Defence minister Oleksii Reznikov denied that the city had been captured and stated the fighting was "very difficult". Governor of Donetsk Pavlo Kyrylenko stated that "559 civilians including 15 children" remained in Soledar and couldn't be evacuated.  President Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar announced that pockets of resistance in the city center continues, and that the western portion of the settlement remains in Ukrainian hands. Chief of staff to the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak stated that "Soledar is a scene of street battles, with neither side really in control of the town."  Geolocation based on photos suggested that Ukrainian troops were still defending the north western part of the city.

14 January

Destroyed apartment building in Dnipro

A new wave of Russian missile strikes on several regions of Ukraine. Kyiv's Military administration reported hitting of Kyiv's critical infrastructure. Kharkiv, Odesa and other cities were also hit.

A Russian missile strike partially destroyed an apartment building in Dnipro, killing at least 46 people and injuring 80.

The United Kingdom stated that it will provide Challenger 2 tanks and artillery systems to Ukraine.

15 January

Armin Papperger, the CEO of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, stated that the company would not be able to deliver battle-ready Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine until 2024.

16 January

Ukraine admitted that they had lost Soledar.

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned in part due to blunders over German support for Ukraine.

A grenade exploded in Tonenkoye village's community center, which was used to store ammunition and house Russian soldiers. TASS reported that the RGD-5 grenade explosion in Belgorod Oblast killed 3 soldiers and wounded 16. Eight soldiers are missing.

Russia had secured control of Soledar after capturing the last industrial zone near mine number 7 which was previously held by Ukrainian troops.

17 January

IAEA team visiting the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, 17 January 2023

The US Military stated that Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in the United States on the Patriot Missile system.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic condemned PMC Wagner for running a social media campaign calling for Serbian recruits to fight in Ukraine.

18 January

Australian Defence minister Richard Marles stated that Australian Army soldiers will be deployed in the UK to train Ukrainian soldiers in "infantry tactics in an urban, wooded and basic infantry tactics".[193]

20 January

Ukraine Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that, despite the lack of agreement to export the tanks, Ukrainian soldiers would be trained on Leopard 2 tanks in Poland.

21 January

Russia claimed to conduct a new offensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

22 January

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that Germany would not stand in the way if Poland or other countries provide Leopard 2 tanks.

Russian state media reported that Russia advanced into Orikhiv and Hulyaipol towns in Zaporizhia region.

23 January

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that Poland will provide 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine regardless of Germany's approval;[198] the next day, Poland officially requested permission to export them. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius encouraged other countries to provide training on the tanks for Ukrainian soldiers.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France would send Leclerc tanks to Ukraine.

Norwegian defence chief General Eirik Kristoffersen stated that around 180,000 Russian soldiers were dead or wounded and there were around 100,000 military casualties and 30,000 civilian dead from Ukraine.

24 January

Several senior and junior ministers resigned from positions in the Ukrainian government, including the deputy head of the President's Office, a deputy Defence Minister, the Deputy Prosecutor-General and the deputy infrastructure minister.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed to provide Leopard 2 tanks and allowed other countries to do the same. Ukraine senior officials stated that around 100 Leopard 2 tanks from twelve countries are ready to be transferred to Ukraine.

A missile hit a Turkish-owned cargo ship Tuzla and started a fire while at the Port of Kherson. There were no reported casualties.[a]

image icon Turkish-owned cargo ship targeted by missiles

25 January

The United States is expected to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed to provide 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine. Those tanks, along with the contributions of other nations, will total around 88 Leopard tanks.

26 January

According to Ukraine, 55 missiles were fired at targets in Ukraine, along with another 24 Shahed-136 drones. The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down all of the drones and 47 of the missiles. Including in the attack was a Kh-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missile. Kyiv’s Mayor said one person had died and two were wounded when an apartment block was hit in the Holosiiv district. This is the 13th mass attack since the invasion began.

January 25, 2023 

Remarks by President Biden on Continued Support for Ukraine

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