Key developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Day 332

According to the Kremlin, Western nations arming Ukraine with tanks would not alter the path of the war but rather exacerbate the challenges facing the Ukrainian people.

 

The status as of Saturday, January 21, 2023 is as follows:

Fighting:

Russian forces being expelled from Ukraine this year is highly improbable, according to US General Mark Milley.

Senior US officials encouraged Ukraine to wait until the most recent supply of weapons is in place and training has been delivered before starting a big operation against Russian soldiers.

Russian troops reportedly took control of Klishchiivka, a tiny town south of Bakhmut, according to Russian-backed forces in Donetsk.

Military:

According to Germany's defence minister, no decision over whether to send Leopard 2 combat tanks to Ukraine was made during the US-sponsored meeting at Ramstein Air Base. He said that other Ukrainian allies shared Berlin's reservations about the delivery.

Speaking to the group, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that rather than haggling over differing tank counts, partners could "open that fundamental supply that would halt evil."

According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, countries supporting Ukraine should concentrate on delivering ammunition for outdated systems as well as modern weaponry to Kiev.

The Kremlin claimed that Western nations sending tanks to Ukraine will not alter the conflict's trajectory but rather exacerbate the nation of Ukraine's difficulties.

Diplomacy:

Pressure on the Russian private army operating in Ukraine has increased as a result of the US designating the Wagner Group in Russia as a "transnational criminal organisation."

After activists in Belgrade filed criminal accusations against the paramilitary group, the group has denied recruiting Serbians.

Halfway through President Joe Biden's tenure, the Kremlin declared that ties with the US were at an all-time low and that there was no chance of recovery.

Humanitarian aid:

A UN humanitarian convoy carrying assistance for residents landed in the eastern district of Donetsk for the first time since Russia's conflict in Ukraine started.