Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that Kyiv should give Ukrainian defenders blocked on the territory of Azovstal steel plant in besieged Mariupol "an order to lay down their arms." There are more than 100,000 civilians trapped in the southeastern port city, which includes over 1,000 children, women and elderly hiding in the basement of Azovstal.
"The consequences of Russian strikes and worsening weather conditions are severe," Zelensky wrote.
The suspension is set to take effect on Jan. 21 and will remain in place indefinitely while the State Department conducts a review of visa processing procedures, Fox News reported.
Local authorities reported on Jan. 14 that air defenses were active in the capital due to yet another Russian drone attack.
Sixty billion euros ($70 billion) will be earmarked for defense, with the remaining 30 billion euros ($35 billion) allocated to support Ukraine's budget, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said during a press conference in Brussels on Jan 14.
The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek speaks with Kurt Volker, former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations and former U.S. ambassador to NATO, about U.S. foreign policy, NATO’s future, and the war in Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrates he is "increasingly comfortable with the use of force" on the global stage, Kurt Volker said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent.
The rare report on numbers comes as Ukraine faces a critical manpower shortage.
After the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) charged several lawmakers from President Volodymyr Zelensky's party in December, Tymoshenko initiated discussions on regularly offering bribes to some members of parliament in exchange for votes, the NABU alleged.
The Ukrainian parliament on Jan. 14 appointed Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister and Denys Shmyhal as energy minister and first deputy prime minister.
The circumstances around the reportedly self-imposed strike were not immediately clear.
