According to local authorities, who did not specify the cause, a fire broke out at the liquefied gas terminal in the Baltic port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region of Russia. Various Russian sources report that local residents have heard drones and explosions in the area. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a statement to Slovak Radio that he will block Ukraine’s accession to NATO. He said that Ukraine will have to make a “compromise” and give part of its territory to Russia.

Ukrainian soldiers at the front in winterPhoto: AA / Abaca Press / Profimedia Images

A brief summary of recent events:

  • The prime minister of Slovakia says that he will block Ukraine’s accession to NATO: “Kyiv will have to cede a piece of territory to Russia”
  • Zelensky: over 100 “acute clashes” took place on the front lines in the last day
  • Ukraine and the USA conducted the first joint inspection of weapons and other military equipment provided by Washington in one of the Ukrainian military units
  • Russia has sufficient air defense potential on the front line of Ukraine and in the occupied Crimea, but not on the territory of Russia, said the spokesman of the Air Force of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat.
  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the conclusion of “new bilateral agreements” that would “revive” international law, and added that new military packages would be delivered “in the coming weeks and months.”
  • The poor training and coordination of the Russian troops stationed on the eastern bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region will probably not allow them to dislodge the Ukrainian forces from the area, the British Ministry of Defense reported.
  • By the end of 2024, the European Union will be able to produce approximately 1.3-1.4 million shells.