In its bid to solidify its stance in the war, Ukraine has pushed for German-made modern battle tanks and secured a pledge of more Patriots defense missiles as its allies seem ready to support Ukraine in the next phase of the war.
One of the best tanks in the West is the German Leopard 2, which is used by forces in around 20 different countries. The 120mm smoothbore gun on the tank weighs more than 60 tonnes, and it can hit targets up to five kilometers away.
Ukraine, which has primarily used T-72 tank types from the Soviet era, claims that the new tanks would increase the mobility and protection of its ground forces in front of a new Russian attack that is widely anticipated, as well as aid in the retaking of some of its lost territory.
Germany has been the largest holdout in the West when it comes to committing to buy tanks, but a cabinet minister stated on Tuesday that new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius would make the decision on this matter first.
Prior to a gathering of numerous defense ministers on Friday at the German air base of Ramstein, he will welcome U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what it calls a “special military operation” to safeguard its security as its neighbor grew closer to the West, Western nations have consistently supplied Ukraine with arms. Moscow is accused of launching an unprovoked war to seize land from Ukraine and its allies.
In order to help Ukraine overcome a hardening of the front lines, the allies must step up their military assistance, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly stated during a visit to Washington.
“There is a significant loss of life when there are these types of terrible, attritional confrontations. And none of us can stand for that, which is why we believe that the time is opportune to step up our support for Ukraine “Very well expressed.
Additionally in Washington, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte informed US President Joe Biden of Dutch plans to provide Ukraine with a Patriots missile defense system.
In addition, Germany and the US have promised to deliver Patriots missile systems to Ukraine.
According to Ukraine’s Oleksii Reznikov, the training period for officers to operate the Patriots advanced long-range air defense system will be 10 weeks.
Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, pleaded with attendees at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday to do more to help put an end to the conflict and said she would give the Chinese delegation a letter from her husband outlining Ukraine’s suggested peace plan.
China, a crucial ally of Moscow, has refrained from denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will address the gathering in Davos, Switzerland.
NORTH-EAST FRONTLINE
According to Zelenskiy in his nightly video message, the number of civilian fatalities from a missile strike on an apartment building on Saturday in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, increased to 45, including six children, among them an 11-month-old kid. On Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities suspended the hunt for survivors.
The two sides exchanged fire on the eastern frontline, where neither has made much progress in recent months, according to the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Wednesday.
Russian forces bombarded the Luhansk and Donetsk regions over the last 24 hours, shelling over 30 settlements, including the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut as well as the village of Klishchiivka, according to the military report.
Attacks were repelled by Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut and the nearby Donetsk village of Klishchiivka.
The little mining town of Soledar, which was the scene of recent action near Bakhmut, is said to have been taken by Russia, although Kyiv asserts that its soldiers are still engaged in combat there.
“The circumstance is challenging. In Soledar, fighting is still ongoing, and Ukrainian soldiers are putting up a fierce fight.
According to the news website Espresso TV, Petro Kuzyk, commander of the Ukrainian National Guard’s “Freedom” battalion, “part of the town is occupied.
In a YouTube video, Ukrainian military expert Oleh Zhdanov claimed that witnesses had spotted Russian forces at the train station in the town of Sil, which is close to Soledar.
He stated that the number of Wagner fighters-for-hire, who were crucial to recent gains in Donbas, has significantly decreased and that Russian soldiers and conscripts are now in charge of attacks.
Reports from the battlefield could not be confirmed by TradingTwist.
On Wednesday, the 80th anniversary of the day Soviet forces were able to break a Nazi blockade that had been in place since September 1941, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to travel to St. Petersburg.
Rumors that Vladimir Putin will make adjustments to the war effort, such as a general mobilization, were untrue, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who spoke to a domestic news outlet.
