It's time for 'diplomatic action' over Ukraine, ally says, as pressure mounts on Kyiv for peace talks

A joint statement from the U.S. and seven other countries on Wednesday accused Russia of exploiting its position as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council to acquire weapons from North Korea.

The export of weapons from North Korea violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to a statement released by the United States Mission to the United Nations.

"Each violation makes the world a much more dangerous place.  And a permanent Security Council member that willingly engages in these violations demonstrates a clear exploitation of its position," it said.

Alongside the U.S., the joint statement was issued on behalf of France, Japan, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Ukraine and the U.K.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. and its Western allies had released a statement condemning the alleged import of North Korean missiles to Russia.

A Kremlin spokesperon on Tuesday declined to comment when asked to respond to U.S. claims that Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine on Dec. 30. and Jan. 2.

— Sophie Kiderlin

Pope Francis says there is a risk of the war in Ukraine becoming "forgotten," according to a translated statement from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), quoting a letter from the pope to the head of the UGCC, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

"It is our duty to do everything so that this war is not shrouded in silence," the pope said. He called on the international community and those responsible for the conflict to find peaceful solutions.

Pope Francis condemned strikes on civilians and key infrastructure saying they "are unworthy and unacceptable and cannot be justified by any way."

— Sophie Kiderlin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday that he and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda signed a new defense support agreement.

"I am grateful for Lithuania's new defense support that we have agreed upon—not only aid but also joint production—particularly of anti-drone equipment, which is critical at the frontline, as well as other areas of defense production. We signed relevant documents today," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy also described weapons and other equipment as well as training for military personnel and Lithuania's role in the process of clearing mines in Ukraine as "sources of strength."

Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy said that he was making a surprise visit to Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.

— Sophie Kiderlin

The time has come for diplomatic action to pave the way for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Italy's defense minister said on Wednesday.

Guido Crosetto told the Italian Parliament that following the failure of the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive to produce decisive results, "it seems the moment has come for incisive diplomatic action alongside the aid we are providing because there is a series of important signals coming from both sides," he said, the ANSA news agency reported.

Crosetto called on Italian lawmakers to remain steadfast in their support for Ukraine. The government voted in December to extend military aid to Kyiv by a further year.

"Our support to Ukraine remains strong and totally unchanged," he told the lower house of Parliament Wednesday.

As the Russia-Ukraine war approaches its second anniversary in February, neither side is in a position to capitulate or compromise in the conflict. Ukraine's counteroffensive last summer failed to shift the front lines significantly and Russian forces are heavily entrenched in fortified positions across the south and east of Ukraine.

Military experts predict little change in 2024 unless Western support for Ukraine dries up, and warn that neither side will be ready for peace talks unless they hold the upper-hand in the war, giving them negotiating power in any talks.

A day before the World Economic Forum begins in Davos, Switzerland, next Monday, Ukraine and Switzerland are due to co-host a summit of national security advisors from Ukraine's international allies with the focus on promoting Ukraine's 10-point peace plan. Russia will not be attending the event.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny cracked jokes on Wednesday in his first court appearance since being transferred to an Arctic penal colony, but a judge rejected his latest challenge against his treatment in prison.

Navalny appeared by video link from the "Penal Wolf" colony to which he was transferred last month from a prison in Melekhovo, east of Moscow, in an arduous three-week journey by road and rail.

He drew laughter from the judge when he asked on the call whether the Melekhovo colony had thrown a party to celebrate his departure, and whether it had included karaoke.

He later inquired if the prison department in Melekhovo had staged a naked party - a reference to a gathering of scantily clad celebrities in Moscow last month that caused a national scandal.

The exchanges showed Navalny's ability to find humor even in his grim situation and to connect with the outside world despite being sent to one of Russia's most remote and inhospitable regions.

His frequent court hearings have provided him with a platform to keep up his attacks on President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine and to challenge and mock his incarcerators. He told judge Kirill Nikiforov, who has presided over many such sessions, that "a tear is flowing down my cheek" from the pleasure of seeing him again.

Navalny, 47, is serving sentences totalling more than 30 years on a range of charges, from fraud to extremist activity, that he says were trumped up to silence him. In 2020 he survived an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent.

The Kremlin says he is a convicted criminal and his treatment is a matter for the prison service. It has portrayed him and his supporters as extremists with links to the CIA intelligence agency who they say are seeking to destabilize Russia.

— Reuters

President Vladimir Putin is in Chukotka in Russia's Far East, making his first-ever presidential visit to the region, Russian state media reported on Wednesday.

Putin has arrived in Anadyr, the local capital of the Chukotka region, the easternmost region of Russia, earlier Wednesday.

The visit comes as Putin campaigns for reelection ahead of the March 15-17 presidential polls.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Lithuania, where he said he would meet senior officials before heading to the neighboring Baltic countries of Estonia and Latvia.

"Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are our reliable friends and principled partners. Today, I arrived in Vilnius before going to Tallinn and Riga," Zelenskyy said on X.

"Security, EU and NATO integration, cooperation on electronic warfare and drones, and further coordination of European support are all on the agenda," he said ahead of the visit to NATO member Lithuania.  

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for what he described as Lithuania's "uncompromising support for Ukraine since 2014 and especially now, during Russia's full-scale aggression."

— Holly Ellyatt

The U.S and its Western allies issued a statement Tuesday condemning alleged arms transfers between North Korea and Russia.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) export and Russia's procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, as well as Russia's use of these missiles against Ukraine," said the joint statement, issued by the foreign ministers of the U.S., U.K., EU, Australia, Germany, Canada and partner nations.

"The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime," they noted, adding that Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine also provides "valuable technical and military insights" to Pyongyang.

"We are deeply concerned about the security implications that this cooperation has in Europe, on the Korean Peninsula, across the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world," the statement added.

The U.S. accused Russia of using North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, with Ukraine's international partners condemning their use.

When asked on Tuesday to comment on the White House's claims, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said "we are leaving it with no comment."

"I just want to remind [you] that Ukraine is targeting our territories, like Belgorod, with missiles that are manufactured by foreign states, like Germany, France," he added.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there were "signs of a slowdown" in Russia's defense industry but called for sanctions to be tightened on the country.

"There are clear signs of a slowdown in Russia's defence industry," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Tuesday.

"But for the sanctions to be 100% effective, the schemes for circumventing the sanctions must also be 100% blocked. New global steps are also needed against those who continue to help Russia," he said.

Zelenskyy provided no evidence for his claim of a slowdown and Russia has said it aims to bolster its military-industrial complex and to increase weapons production. On New Year's Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country had already seen "a multiple increase in the amount of armaments produced," news agency Tass reported.

Zelenskyy said he had met with military and government officials and had analyzed the supply of shells and drones, concluding that "the bottom line is that every aspect of logistics needs to be expedited."

"We also discussed the launch of new production lines for weapons and ammunition in Ukraine – at our enterprises and together with partners," he added.

"Despite all the challenges in the world, our careful, clear approach to every requirement and every opportunity can provide the Defense Forces with everything necessary."

— Holly Ellyatt

Pictures show Ukrainian soldiers and destruction near the frontline as battle continues in the snow.

— Sophie Kiderlin

Jailed Putin critic and Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny shared details of his imprisonment in a post on Telegram on Tuesday.

Navalny said he was put in a punishment cell for bad behavior immediately after completing quarantine following his arrival in a new penal colony. Daily walks take place at 6:30 a.m. in a space measuring around eleven by three steps, he added.

"It has never been colder than -32°C," Navalny wrote. "There are few things as invigorating as a walk in Yamal at 6:30 in the morning. And what a wonderful fresh breeze blows into the yard, despite the concrete fence, wow!" he added in an ironic tone.

A spokesperson for Navalny said in December that the politician had been moved to a penal colony known as IK-3, or "the Polar Wolf" colony, in the Arctic region in northern Russia.

— Sophie Kiderlin

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told military officials Tuesday that Moscow's armed forces hold the initiative in Ukraine, and that the nation will achieve the goals of what it calls its "special military operation."

"We maintain the strategic initiative along the entire line of combat contact," Shoigu said during a conference call with the leadership of the Russian army, reported by news agency Tass.

The Russian army will continue to "consistently achieve the goals of the special military operation," he said.

In 2024, Shoigu said his priorities are to maintain the combat readiness of the nuclear triad at the highest level, increasing the production of a range of drones "from ultra-small to heavy attack," as well as introducing modern weapons and increasing the capabilities of satellite constellations — networks of strategically-placed satellites.

"We will continue to equip the army and navy with the most modern weapons, including those based on artificial intelligence technologies and new physical principles," Shoigu said, according to Google-translated comments reported by Russian state news agency Tass.

Russia's belief that it can prevail in Ukraine and win the war — although it's uncertain what would constitute a victory for Moscow — has been boosted by U.S. and European disputes over continued military funding for Kyiv and hopes that this year's U.S. election could herald a decline in support for Ukraine.

Shoigu claimed that Ukraine had lost 215,000 of personnel in 2023, as well as 28,000 units of military equipment. Accurate figures for losses are impossible, given the chaotic nature of collecting such data during wartime.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine discloses its losses, but both sides are estimated by U.S. intelligence to have lost around 100,000 personnel each, Reuters reports. Hundreds of thousands more are believed to have been wounded.

— Holly Ellyatt

The Kremlin said the Russian military will do everything to minimize and eliminate the threat of shelling of Russian cities by the Ukraine's armed forces, following repeated shelling of the border city of Belgorod.

"Our military will continue to do everything to first minimize this danger, and then completely get rid of it," the Kremlin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters, news agency Tass reported.

Peskov accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, which it denies.

"The Kiev regime does not disdain shelling civilian objects, does not disdain the use of cluster munitions, shooting at the city center ... where there are no military installations," he said, according to comments published by news agency Tass.

Ukraine has not publicly commented on recent strikes on Belgorod, the most recent attack coming on Monday. Three people were injured in the attack, Belgorod's governor said. On Dec. 30, 25 people, including five children, were killed in missile strikes on Belgorod's city center. Several hundred residents have since been evacuated from the city.

When asked to comment on the White House's claims last week that Russia had used North Korean short-range ballistic missiles in Ukraine, Peskov said "we are leaving it with no comment."

"I just want to remind [you] that Ukraine is targeting our territories, like Belgorod, with missiles that are manufactured by foreign states, like Germany, France," NBC news reported him as saying.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia claims ‘strategic initiative’ in war; Ukraine running short of anti-aircraft guided missiles