Referreport
There is little movement on the battlefield in Ukraine. To this end, both warring parties are presenting new agreements that are intended to bind their partners more tightly.
Ukraine and Russia are expanding their respective strategic alliances. According to the Kremlin, Russia wants to conclude an all-encompassing strategic partnership with Iran for the next 20 years in Moscow today. On Thursday, Ukraine and Great Britain had already agreed on a partnership agreement on deeper cooperation with a focus on armaments. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for pledging billions of dollars in military aid.
This year alone, London is giving $6.6 billion – more than $3 billion of which is earmarked as annual military aid as part of the partnership agreement concluded on Thursday, Zelensky said in his evening video message. There is also a secret part of the contract that serves Ukrainian security, he added, without giving details.
The navies of both countries should cooperate more closely
In the strategic partnership agreement that Kiev and London have concluded over a symbolic period of 100 years, cooperation is to take place in the areas of science, energy and trade in addition to armaments. The United Kingdom is committed to increasing its contribution to the training of specialists on Western fighter jets for the Ukrainian Air Force. The navies of both states should also cooperate more closely, especially in the Black Sea region.
London is also complying with Kiev’s ongoing request to strengthen its anti-aircraft defenses. Great Britain wants to supply Ukraine with 15 Gravehawk systems specially developed for the country by the end of the year. According to military experts, these are nowhere near as powerful as the Patriot complexes built in the USA or the modern Iris-T system from Germany.
Russia and Iran before expanding their military cooperation
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian are also planning to make a statement to the media today after signing their agreement, the Kremlin announced. Ukraine accuses Iran of supporting Russia in its war of aggression with, among other things, drones.
Russia had previously sealed a strategic partnership with North Korea, which, among other things, provides for mutual military assistance in the event of an attack by a third country. According to Russian state media, the Iranian side announced in advance that it was taking care of its own security and that there was therefore no provision for an assistance clause. However, both countries are likely to significantly expand their military cooperation.
Ukraine is pushing its own arms sector
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government announced a massive increase in its weapons production last year. “In particular, about 2.5 million mortar and artillery shells and the same amount of ammunition for drones were produced,” explained the Minister responsible for armaments, Herman Smetanin. Existing products have been improved and new ones have been added. Compared to 2023, total arms production has increased sixfold, Smetanin claimed – but did not give any specific figures to prove this.
The goal is to produce 3,000 missiles and 30,000 long-range drones this year, said Smetanin. Around a third of the weapons used by the military already come from domestic production.
Zelensky said drones were manufactured more cheaply in Ukraine than elsewhere in Europe. He announced further investments by foreign partners in domestic production. Drones have become one of the most important weapons on the battlefield since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression. It is one of the few areas in which Ukraine is ahead of the highly equipped Russian military.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion with Western military aid for almost three years. According to Zelenskyj, almost 40 percent of the weapons used currently come from the USA, and another 30 percent from European countries. Russia also massively expanded its arms production as a result of the war.
Green appeal to Scholz for aid to Ukraine
In the debate about new billions in aid for Ukraine, Green politician Ricarda Lang called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to give in. His condition of tying additional arms deliveries worth three billion euros to a suspension of the debt brake was “dishonest,” said the former Green Party leader on the ZDF talk show “Maybrit Illner.” She appealed to Scholz: “Let’s decide on the three billion now!”
The Greens do not want to finance aid to Ukraine through new debt, but rather through an “unscheduled expenditure” according to Article 112 of the Basic Law. Scholz, however, insists on suspending the debt brake to finance arms deliveries.
Problems in the southeast of the front are worsening
Meanwhile, the situation on the front lines remains tense for Ukraine. According to maps from the Ukrainian military blog “Deepstate”, Russian troops were able to advance north of the settlement of Velyka Novosilka. This means that the Ukrainian defenders who remain there are threatened with being surrounded. The information has not yet been officially confirmed.
In its evening situation report, the General Staff in Kiev spoke of only ten battles in the area, five of which had already been repelled, while five battles were still ongoing. This information cannot be independently verified.
Ex-US general: “Trump doesn’t want to be seen as a loser”
Former US general Ben Hodges expects US President-elect Donald Trump to show strength against Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. “In a way, I’m optimistic and hope that President Trump doesn’t want to be seen as a loser. “He doesn’t want to be the one who loses Ukraine,” the former commander of US forces in Europe told “Spiegel” when asked whether it would now amount to negotiations. Hodges said he wouldn’t take all the things Trump said during the campaign at face value.
During the election campaign, the Republican repeatedly claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. His approach appeared to be aimed at putting massive pressure on the conflicting parties in order to force negotiations and a quick peace. That sparked concerns that he might cut support to Ukraine. After his election victory, Trump expressed himself more cautiously and, with a view to a possible end to the war, stated that he hoped to have six months.
Source: German