Heavy fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, and Russia has once again shelled cities, killing three people in Kherson, Reuters writes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 29th of January that situation is very difficult and stated that it is necessary to speed up arms deliveries.
On the 29th of January, the attacks in Kherson hit a school and a hospital. Three people were killed and six others were injured. Since November, when the Ukrainian army recaptured Kherson, Russia has regularly shelled it from positions on the opposite bank of the Dnieper.
Russia also killed one woman when a missile hit a residential building in Kharkiv.
Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately shelling a hospital in the Russian-controlled eastern part of Ukraine, as a result of which 14 people died. Ukraine has not commented on such allegations.
After several weeks of discussions, Western countries have agreed on the supply of tanks to Ukraine. In total, several countries have committed to handing over 321 tanks to Ukraine, however, arrival on the battlefield may take months. Ukraine wants the tanks as soon as possible, as a new wave of attacks is believed to be planned for the spring.
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall is preparing to increase production to meet Ukraine’s needs and suggests the possibility of starting production of HIMARS in Germany as well. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited South Korea and called for increased military aid to Ukraine.
Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Ryabkov, in turn, has announced that there is no point in Russia’s negotiations with Kyiv. However, it is known that the Kremlin is open to communication with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Chancellor told Berlin’s Tagesspiegel that he would talk to Putin again because it is necessary:
«The onus is on Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine to end this horrendous, senseless war that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives already.»
Meanwhile, Zelensky has informed the media that he has sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron. Thus, the President of Ukraine continues to emphasize that Russian athletes should not participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Permitting the aggressor’s athletes to compete would be a demonstration that terrorism is accepted, Zelenskis said.
Read also: War in Ukraine: aggressor is heavily shelling Ukrainian cities