Key developments on Jan. 25-26: * Ukraine strikes drone storage facility in Russia's Oryol Oblast and destroys 200 Shaheds, General Staff reports * Rubio halts most foreign aid, including Ukraine assistance, Politico reports * Russia launched over 1,250 bombs, 750 drones at Ukraine during Trump's first week in office * Ukrainian troops avoid
Russia fired 1,250 aerial bombs, over 750 attack drones, and 20 missiles at Ukraine in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan 26.
Trump's territorial ambitions and disregard for international norms are "serious, and potentially very dangerous," a senior European Official told the Financial Times.
Inspectors general provide oversight of federal agencies, investigating cases of possible fraud, waste, and abuse of power. Defense Department watchdogs have played a role in tracking U.S. military aid to Ukraine throughout Russia's full-scale invasion.
While the specifics of a potential agreement under U.S. President Donald Trump remain unclear, Zelensky emphasized that Vladimir Putin has no interest in ending the war.
Donald Trump previously pledged to impose harsher legislation on migrants and launch the "largest deportation program in U.S. history."
The approach can be part of a comprehensive solution that will support Ukraine in its war against Russia and strengthen the American defense industry, Keith Kellogg said.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense on Jan. 24 in a tie-breaking vote.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning came after Putin expressed willingness to engage in talks with Donald Trump on Jan. 24 and praised the U.S. leader.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Jan. 24 new guidance that halts spending on most foreign aid grants for 90 days. This directive, which took State Department officials by surprise, appears to include funding for military assistance to Ukraine, according to Politico.
The proposal comes as Trump threatens to impose sanctions and tariffs on Russian exports if no deal to end the war is reached soon.
Only days after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he dialed up the heat on Russia with a threat of sanctions, tariffs, and negotiating "the hard way" if Russian President Vladimir Putin fails to come to the table for a peace deal with Ukraine. Trump has
President Donald Trump previously raised the accusation in 2023, saying Russia had stolen plans for what he described as "super-duper missiles."
Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Jan. 24 that Russia is ready for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on ending the war in Ukraine.
Kim Jong Un, who Trump lauded as a "smart guy," has become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key ally in a war against Ukraine, providing ballistic missiles, artillery, and 12,000 troops.
"(Vladimir) Putin is ready, we are waiting for signals, everyone is ready," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Jan. 24.
"Zelensky... shouldn’t have allowed this to happen either. He’s no angel," Trump said. "First of all, he’s fighting a much bigger entity."
U.S. President Donald Trump said that he wanted to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as possible to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported on Jan. 23.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending foreign aid programs for 90 days does not apply to military assistance for Ukraine, the Pentagon confirmed to the Ukrainian Service of Voice of America on Jan. 23.
Key developments on Jan. 23: * Russian forces suspected of killing 6 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast * Ukrainian soldiers near Velyka Novosilka at risk of encirclement, spokesperson says * Zelensky clarifies comment on 200,000 peacekeepers, says figure depends on Ukrainian army size * NATO chief urges US to keep arming Ukraine, pledges
Russian military bloggers, known as milbloggers, have responded in defiant terms to Donald Trump’s ultimatum to his Russian counterpart, describing it as "blackmail" from a U.S. president acting more like a "king of the playground." On Jan. 22, Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "make a
President Donald Trump also said Ukraine was "ready for a deal," but added "you'll have to ask Russia" about a peace agreement within a year.
"If this new Trump administration is willing to keep on supplying Ukraine, the bill will be paid by the Europeans," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"I think the issue of ending the war in Ukraine must be a victory for (Donald) Trump, not for (Vladimir) Putin," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Trump, in the first iteration of his presidency, was the American president who most often resorted to sanctions methods," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Russia's domestic economic operations have recently suffered due to labor shortages and high interest rates introduced to curb inflation.
During a telephone call on Jan. 22, NSC employees, known as aides or detailees, were told that they were to leave the office immediately.
"It's not merely the question of ending the war ... So we have to see what does the 'deal' mean in President Trump's understanding," Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said in response to Trump's call for Moscow to make a deal or face sanctions.
"It can’t be without the United States," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on Jan. 22. "Even if some European friends think it can be, no it can’t be. Nobody will risk without the United States."
"If a deal is not reached, I will have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and other participating countries," President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
Hours after taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump put a stop on U.S. foreign development assistance for 90 days to review and ensure it aligns with the new administration's policy. Ukraine tops the recipient list of U.S. development assistance, receiving over $17 billion in economic aid in
Russia lacks the manpower for a big breakthrough in Ukraine, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli said during a discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21.
(Updated: )
