3:54 AM

Zelensky meets with Macron, European Council President Costa in Poland.

President Volodymyr Zelensky held separate meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as European Council President Antonio Costa on Jan. 27 in Krakow, Poland amid a visit to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day.

1:33 AM

Russia's Ryazan oil refinery suspends operations after drone strike, Reuters reports.

"The railway loading equipment has been damaged. There have been no railways loadings, they stopped oil processing," an industry source said.

12:22 AM

'A farce' — Foreign Ministry condemns sham election in Belarus.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko turned the country's presidential election into "a one-man political show," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 27.

11:51 PM

Trump 'helped' persuade Hungary to unblock EU Russia sanctions, Polish FM claims.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski believes Trump's recent threats of sanctions against Moscow played a role in Hungary's decision to withdraw its veto.

10:54 PM

'If half the people go home tomorrow, Putin will kill us all' — Zelensky defends mobilization.

"If tomorrow, for example, half of the army just goes home, then we should have surrendered on the first day. That's the way it is. Because if half the people go home tomorrow, Putin will kill us all."

10:25 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: North Korean forces reportedly pull back from one front-line sector following heavy casualties

9:51 PM

Humanitarian aid

Trump suspends aid to Ukraine, vital NGOs 'don't know if they'll survive'.

9:36 PM

Russia approves conscription reforms to target draft evaders, streamline recruitment.

Under the new legislation, draft board decisions for individuals deemed fit for service will remain valid for one year. This allows military commissions to send individuals to the army in subsequent drafts without requiring additional medical examinations or decisions.

9:21 PM

Belarus

After Lukashenko's latest sham election win, exiled Belarusians reflect on lessons learned from 2020's lost revolution

8:42 PM

Russia introduces history textbook that redefines war against Ukraine as justified defense.

The three-volume textbook, targeted at schoolchildren, claims Russia was "forced" to invade Ukraine in 2022, citing long-standing grievances such as NATO's eastward expansion and the 2014 ousting of Ukraine's pro-Russian president, which the textbook characterizes as a Western-backed coup.

8:38 PM

EU agrees to ease sanctions on Syria following Assad's fall, chief diplomat says.

"While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas posted on X, adding that the EU plans to scale up humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Syria.

7:22 PM

Lithuania, Estonia pledge 5% defense spending, following Trump's call, FT reports.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys reportedly described the shift as part of a "new era. " Vilnius committed to spending between 5% and 6% of its GDP on defense annually until at least 2030. Estonia followed suit, pledging to raise defense spending from 3.7% of GDP to 5%.

7:06 PM

EU suspends visa privileges for Georgian officials over democratic backsliding.

"Fundamental rights and democratic values are core principles of EU integration. Officials that represent a country which trample down these values should not benefit from easier access to the EU," said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's interior minister.

6:30 PM

Procurement for Ukrainian forces may be blocked due to legal conflict, Defense Procurement Agency's head says.

"Contracting and supplies may be blocked because we are in a legal conflict," Maryna Bezrukova, Defense Procurement Agency head, said.

6:06 PM

Donald Trump

Trump needs to 'understand where the threat is,' UK lawmaker says.

5:50 PM

Kremlin backs Lukashenko's 'victory' in Belarus election, dismisses Western criticism.

"The elections in Belarus were transparent and absolutely legitimate. Moscow does not take into account the expected criticism of the elections in Belarus in the West," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media.

5:26 PM

EU to continue talks with Ukraine on gas supplies to Europe, including Hungary, Slovakia, Reuters reports.

"The (European) Commission is ready to continue discussions with Ukraine on the supply to Europe through the gas pipeline system in Ukraine," the statement said.

5:14 PM

Russia intensifies attacks near Pokrovsk, seeks to encircle Ukrainian forces.

Russian forces have intensified their assaults near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, deploying small groups in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops, Victor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, said on Jan. 27.

4:33 PM

EU screening of Ukraine’s legislation to continue until fall of 2025.

If Ukraine fulfills all the requirements, the Commission expects the launch of cluster negotiations, starting with Cluster I, "Fundamentals," "as soon as possible" in 2025.

4:11 PM

Mural depicting top presidential aide Yermak appears in Kyiv, is painted over soon after.

A mural depicting Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak was covered with white paint within a day after a picture of it emerged online, the Glavcom media outlet reported on Jan. 27.

4:00 PM

Military intelligence denies its head gave Ukraine until summer to launch talks or endanger country’s existence.

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) denied on Jan. 27 that its head, Kyrylo Budanov, gave an assessment that predicted "serious consequences" for the existence of Ukraine unless negotiations began by the summer.

1:45 PM  (Updated:  January 27, 2025 3:45 pm)

North Korean troops seem to temporarily withdraw from one section of front in Kursk Oblast, military says.

North Korean forces are taking respite from hostilities, presumably to treat the wounded, wait for reinforcements, and work on mistakes made during the fighting in this sector of the front, according to Sky News.

9:05 AM  (Updated:  January 27, 2025 3:03 pm)

Russia claims to capture Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine admits partial retreat but says battles ongoing.

Ukraine’s 110th Mechanized Brigade acknowledged a withdrawal from parts of the village to avoid encirclement but claimed that fighting is ongoing elsewhere in Velyka Novosilka.

2:41 PM

Zelensky’s party’s parliamentary leader attended Trump’s inauguration, media reports.

David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, was among the few foreign dignitaries that attended U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration last week, the Independent reported on Jan. 26.

1:49 PM

EU foreign ministers agree to extend Russia sanctions after Hungary’s delays.

"This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war. Russia needs to pay for the damage they are causing," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said.