Moscow [Russia], January 24: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on the US to continue providing military aid to Ukraine and that Europe would bear the cost, after US President Donald Trump said the European Union (EU) needed to support Ukraine more.
Reuters on January 23 quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Russia saw nothing new in US President Donald Trump 's threat to impose sanctions and tariffs if Russia did not agree to end the war in Ukraine .
"We don't see any new elements," Mr. Peskov said when asked about Mr. Trump's threat.
According to Mr. Peskov, Mr. Trump often imposed sanctions on Russia during his first term as president. Besides, Mr. Peskov reiterated that Russia is ready for equal and mutually respectful dialogue with the United States.
Earlier on January 22, Mr. Trump declared that "if we don't reach an agreement soon, I will have no choice but to impose high tariffs and sanctions on everything Russia sells to the United States."
Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik later said that there was no unified approach in his policy on resolving the Ukrainian crisis.
"There is no need for illusions, Mr. Trump is not a pro-Russian politician and will do everything to keep the United States as the dominant power. Therefore, so far, there is no systematic approach to resolving the conflict on the territory of Ukraine," the diplomat was quoted as saying by TASS.
Conflict situation
The Russian Defense Ministry said on January 23 that its forces had taken control of the village of Solone in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to TASS.
Meanwhile, fighting continued in the village of Zverevo on the southwestern outskirts of the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk. Russian security officials said the Ukrainian side had evacuated children from Pokrovsk.
Ukraine has not commented on the information. The Ukrainian Air Force said on January 23 that its forces had shot down 57 of the 92 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that attacked overnight. In addition, 27 UAVs were lost and did not cause any damage.
In Zaporizhzhia province, Governor Ivan Fedorov said Russia launched a missile and UAV attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, killing one person, injuring 31 and leaving tens of thousands without power.
The attack destroyed a power plant and cut off electricity to more than 20,000 residents and heating to about 17,000 people, Fedorov said.
He said Russian forces attacked the city first with UAVs, then with ballistic missiles, prompting Ukraine to issue an airstrike warning that lasted more than six hours.
Russia did not immediately comment on the report. Russia and Ukraine have always denied any accusations of targeting civilians in the conflict.
Can Russia sustain the campaign for another year?
At the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said that Russia could maintain the conflict in Ukraine for at least another year.
He added that it was important to have a 16th round of sanctions targeting Russia's gas, energy and fertilizer sectors. "Our analysis shows that the Russian economy can sustain the war for another year," he said.
In Davos, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on the US to continue providing military aid to Ukraine and that Europe would bear the costs.
He said the alliance must invest more in defence, increase defence industrial production and spend more on supporting Ukraine. "On Ukraine, we also need the US to remain engaged," Rutte said.
"If the (President Donald) Trump administration is ready to continue supplying Ukraine from its defense industrial base, then the Europeans will have to pay, I am absolutely convinced of this, we must be ready to do that," he added.
The comments came after Mr Trump said earlier this week that the European Union (EU) should do more to support Ukraine. "We really have to act and not cut off support for Ukraine. The front line is going in the wrong direction," Mr Rutte said.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
