Historic British-Ukrainian defence agreement. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Kyiv to sign a new security agreement and announced increased military funding for Ukraine, reaching £2,5 billion ($3,19 billion) in the next financial year. The agreement outlines Ukraine’s commitments to democratic reforms, the rule of law, anti-corruption measures, and judicial reform. The preamble underscores the parties’ dedication to shared values of democracy, good governance, and respect for human rights. Ukraine affirms its commitment to reform implementation aligned with EU and NATO accession priorities, IMF criteria, and coordination with major donors, including international financial organizations, the EU, and G7 partners.
The UK will assist Ukraine in reform implementation, sharing expertise in public-private partnerships, fostering financial and capital market conditions, providing practical insights into anti-corruption efforts, security and defence sector reform, judicial reform, and supporting inclusive democratic institutions. The agreement also includes funds for purchasing different types of drones, including surveillance, long-range strikes, and sea drones. This support represents a £200 million increase from the previous two years, underscoring Britain’s commitment as one of Ukraine’s key allies during the Russian invasion led by President Vladimir Putin.
Poland put its aircraft on alert on Saturday. The Polish army put its aviation on alert during the Russian missile attack on Ukraine on the morning of January 13, as reported by the Operational Command of Poland. Initially, it was stated that, due to increased activity of Russian long-range aviation, “all necessary procedures have been initiated to ensure the safety of Poland’s airspace”. “We warn that Polish and allied aviation is activated, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeastern part of the country,” the Polish military said.
Last month, during one of the massive Russian attacks on Ukraine on December 29, 2023, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces detected an unidentified object entering the country’s airspace from the Ukrainian border. In response, President Andrzej Duda convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Russia’s temporary charge d’affaires of Russia, Andrey Ordash, demanding an explanation for the missile strikes on Ukraine on December 29 and an immediate cessation of such activities. After the meeting, Polish military officials stated that the airborne object was likely a Russian missile that penetrated the country’s airspace for less than three minutes before returning to Ukraine.
French FM arrives in Kyiv. Stéphane Séjourné, France’s newly appointed foreign minister, arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to meet his Ukrainian counterpart and signal solidarity with Ukraine as the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches. Séjourné highlighted that Ukraine was his first foreign destination since his recent nomination in a government reshuffle this week. Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba said the talks with his French counterpart in Kyiv focused on enhancing Ukrainian air defence, Ukraine’s EU accession steps, and bilateral defence industry collaboration. During a joint press conference, Kuleba highlighted the historic nature of Séjourné’s first visit to Ukraine. Following the most recent Russian shelling on January 13, Kuleba called on G7 and EU nations to cut off supplies to Russia, noting that 44% of Russia’s military components are of Western origin, emphasising Russia’s misuse of household appliances for military purposes. Ukraine’s FM said that during the meeting with his French counterpart, they discussed the continued supply of air defence systems, missiles and drones to defend Ukrainian airspace. Regarding defence collaboration between French and Ukrainian defence industries, Kuleba said that this would involve transferring production to Ukraine and jointly manufacturing essential weapons. Additionally, Ukraine and France agreed to coordinate steps towards the NATO Summit in Washington, scheduled for July 2024.
Tusk: as long as Ukraine resists Russia, Poland is relatively safe. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland’s relationship with Ukraine “has two dimensions”. At the same time, he emphasised that Poland’s Law and Justice party (PiS) “attempted to play an anti-Ukrainian note in the last months of the election campaign”. Tusk shared this information in an interview with TVN24. “I will never allow anyone in my government to build their political career on such anti-Ukrainian sentiments. “There can be no doubts here when it comes to our support, along with the entire Western world, for Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia,” said Tusk. The Polish PM noted that “every Polish patriot should absolutely acknowledge these arguments because, as long as Ukraine resists Russia, Poland is relatively safe”. Tusk also explained that he is currently collaborating with partners in Europe “who have a good understanding of this matter”. According to him, Europe needs to respond to Russia’s challenge by investing more money into defence. “Russia has shifted its economy towards a war economy and we cannot ignore this fact. Therefore, there can be no hesitation in providing arms and support to Ukraine. In my opinion, this is a clear and indisputable course of action,” said Tusk.
At the same time, Tusk revealed that there is a “second dimension” to Poland’s relations with Ukraine, which encompasses “the interests of Poland, especially carriers or farmers”. He noted that he will “expect the Ukrainian side to help us ‘cure’ all these pathological situations at the border. In simpler terms, Poles want to help Ukraine, but they should not suffer from it, and even more so, Ukrainians should not suffer,” added Poland’s PM.
Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine on January 13. On the morning of January 13, Russian occupation forces launched a missile strike on Ukraine, using cruise, aeroballistic, ballistic, aviation, and anti-aircraft-guided missiles, as well as strike UAVs. Air Defense Forces successfully intercepted and destroyed 8 cruise missiles, as reported by the Ukrainian Air Force this morning.
According to the Air Force, a total of 40 Russian targets were recorded: 7 guided anti-aircraft missiles S-300/S-400, 3 Shahed-136/131 drones, 6 aeroballistic missiles Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, 12 cruise missiles Kh-101/555/55, 6 cruise missiles Kh-22, 2 guided aviation missiles Kh-31P, and 4 guided aviation missiles Kh-59. Air Defense Forces reportedly successfully destroyed 7 cruise missiles (Kh-101/555/55), and 1 guided aviation missile, Kh-59.
At the same time, the spokesperson of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yuriy Ihnat, noted that over 20 Russian aerial targets either crashed in open fields, exploded mid-air, or were downed by Ukrainian Defense Forces’ electronic warfare means.
Russian chemical attacks on Ukraine’s Defence Forces. Since the commencement of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the military has documented 626 instances of Russian occupation forces deploying munitions equipped with poisonous chemical substances. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that “only in January of the current year, there were 51 such cases. Moreover, the dynamics of usage are increasing, with up to 10 cases of chemical substance application recorded daily,” the statement said. As clarified by Ukrainian military officials, the Russian army most frequently employs grenades, such as K-51 and RG-40, dropped from drones. However, makeshift explosive devices equipped with irritant substances are also utilized, and artillery shelling with projectiles containing chemically hazardous substances is carried out. Additionally, it is reported that on December 14, 2023, the use of a new type of special gas grenade RG-VO with the content of the chemical agent CS was detected.
