Macron comments on heavy tanks for Ukraine

 "French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed their continued “unwavering support” for Ukraine for “as long as it takes” in a joint press conference, but both said that any decision on supplying heavier arms must be reached jointly by all “friends” of Kiev." RT

US lawmaker proposes ‘just one’ Abrams tank for Ukraine

“If we announced we were going to give Abrams tanks, just one... what I hear is that Germany is waiting for us to take the lead,” McCaul said on an ABC News interview, pointing to Berlin's reluctance to send its tanks unless the US made a similar commitment first. “Then they would put Leopard tanks in,” he added." RT

Gen. Mark Milley: ‘Very, Very Difficult’ to Eject Russian Forces from Ukraine This Year

"Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley acknowledged that it would be
difficult for Ukrainian forces to “eject” Russian forces from all of Ukraine this year.

“From a military standpoint, I still maintain that for this year it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from all — every inch of Ukraine and occupied — or Russian-occupied Ukraine. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but it’d be very, very difficult,” Milley said in Germany." Breitbart

Ukraine’s defence forces repel Russian attacks near 12 settlements

"Ukraine’s defence forces repelled Russian attacks near 12 settlements in Luhansk and
Donetsk oblasts.

 Over the course of the past 24 hours, [Ukraine’s] defence forces repelled the occupiers’ attacks in the vicinity of Novoselivske, Ploshchanka and Chervonopopivka in Luhansk Oblast; and Bilohorivka, Rozdolivka, Vasiukivka, Krasna Hora, Yahidne, Bakhmut, Predtechyne, Vodiane and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast." Pravada

Russian military confirms capture of key Donbass settlement

"The strategic village of Klescheevka in Russia’s Donetsk Region has been freed from
Ukrainian forces." RT

 

Germany Says 'Nein' On Tanks At Allies' Big Ramstein Meeting

"Is that a definitive nein on tanks? New German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in fresh statements has confirmed that defense leaders gathered for a much anticipated meeting in Ramstein failed to achieve consensus on tanks for Ukraine." ZH

Russia Remains Top Seaborne Oil Supplier To Europe Despite Sanctions

"While the European Union’s seaborne imports of Russian crude oil declined by just over 12%
last year, Russia still enjoyed status as the top seaborne oil supplier to the bloc, despite sanctions..." ZH

Air-raid siren sounds all over Ukraine: fighters took off in Belarus

"At 10:12, sirens began to sound in the country's southeast, then in the capital, and eventually spread over the entire territory of the country within a few minutes.

An alarm indicates the threat of missile strikes and air strikes. It is highly recommended that civilians proceed to a shelter.

Belaruski Hajun [an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet] reports that fighters and an AWACS aircraft have taken off in Belarus..... the A-50 AWACS jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces with the registration number RF-50608 took off from Machulishchy airfield" Pravada

Zelenskyy: I'm not entirely sure Putin is still alive

"Zelensky during a speech at the Ukrainian breakfast in Davos 

Quote: "I don't quite understand who to talk to and about what. I'm not sure that the Russian president who sometimes appears against a green-screen chromakey is actually the [right] one. I don't quite understand if he is alive or whether he makes decisions, or whoever else makes decisions there. What group of people [could be making any decisions in Russia]? I don’t have that kind of information." Pravada

Defense Contractors Rake in Millions as U.S. Seeks to Supply More Weapons to Ukraine

"Defense contractors are raking in millions of dollars as the Biden administration pledges to continue supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”

The U.S. Army announced in December it awarded an $84 million contract to Raytheon Missiles and Defense for more than 1,000 Excalibur 1B precision munitions to replenish those sent to Ukraine.

Just weeks before, the Army awarded a $432 million contract to Lockheed Martin to replenish High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers that the U.S. and allies sent to Ukraine, according to Defense News. The Army also awarded a $1.2 billion contract to Raytheon for six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) batteries for Ukraine.

This week, the Biden administration is expected to announce more military assistance to Ukraine when U.S. defense leaders meet with their counterparts in Germany for the eighth meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The U.S. pledged $400 million in military equipment at the group’s last meeting on November 23." Breitbart

Saudis Confirm Non-Dollar Oil Trade Plans In Davos

"Earlier this month, former NY Fed repo guru Zoltan Pozsar wrote one of his most

important reports of 2022, in which he described how Putin could unleash hell on the Western financial system by demanding that instead of dollars, Russian oil exporters are paid in gold, effectively pegging oil to gold and launching Petrogold.

Then, China's President Xi visit with Saudi and GCC leaders marked the birth of the petroyuan and a leap in China’s growing encumbrance of OPEC+’s oil and gas reserves: that's because with the China-GCC Summit, "China can now claim to have built a 'special relationship' not only with the '+' sign in OPEC+ (Russia), but with Iran and all of OPEC+."

And now, according to Bloomberg, Saudi Arabia is open to discussions about trade in currencies other than the US dollar, according to the kingdom’s finance minister.

“There are no issues with discussing how we settle our trade arrangements, whether it is in the US dollar, whether it is the euro, whether it is the Saudi riyal,” Mohammed Al-Jadaan told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday in an interview in Davos.

“I don’t think we are waving away or ruling out any discussion that will help improve the trade around the world,” Al-Jadaan said.

And echoing Poszar's comments above, Al-Jadaan appeared to confirm The Kingdom's goal seeking to strengthen its relationship with crucial trade partners, most notably China." ZeroHedge

Kissinger Flips, Says Ukraine Should Join NATO In Davos Speech

"Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in a video address to the World Economic Forum (WEF) that Ukraine joining NATO would be an "appropriate outcome" of the war, reversing his previous position that Kyiv shouldn’t join the Western military alliance.......Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in a video address to the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday that Ukraine joining NATO would be an "appropriate outcome" of the war, reversing his previous position that Kyiv shouldn’t join the Western military alliance." ZH

Military deserter ‘liquidated’ in central Russia

"Russian law enforcers have neutralized a military deserter in Lipetsk Region in the central
part of the country....Telegram channel Mash claimed that Perov was shot down by Russia’s special forces when he attempted to resist arrest." RT

Pentagon Forced To Tap Unreported Ammo Stockpile In Israel To Support Ukraine

"The Pentagon is tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition
in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery shells in the war with Russia..... The stockpile provides arms and ammunition for the Pentagon to use in Middle East conflicts. The United States has also allowed Israel to access the supplies in emergencies." ZeroHedge

Ukraine's Interior Minister Among 16 Killed In Worst Helicopter Disaster Since War's Start

"Ukraine's Interior Minister is among three top government officials killed in what marks the country's worst ariel disaster since the war's start. In total 16 people died, including three children and four other bystanders on the ground, given it crashed near a kindergarten in the Kyiv region. 

The crash happened in the city of Brovery on Wednesday. In addition to the fatalities at least 30 were wounded and hospitalized, among them 12 children. The government officials killed were Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, First Deputy Minister Yevheniy Yenin and State Secretary Yuriy Lubkovychis, according to confirmation by government statements. Monastyrsky's death marks the highest profile Ukrainian casualty since the Russian invasion began. 

International correspondents on the ground said there was very low visibility and gray skies, which could help explain Eurocopter EC225 "Super Puma" went down."At the time of the tragedy, there were children and the staff in the kindergarten. At the moment, everyone was evacuated,"." ZH