Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has asked the State Department to authorize the departure of all non-essential staff and their families, CNN reported on Jan. 22, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The move comes amid an escalation of Russia’s aggressive rhetoric against Ukraine.
The Kremlin is stepping up threats of war and massing troops around Ukraine’s borders. According to Western and Ukrainian intelligence, Russia may be preparing a further invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. has told the Ukrainian government that the evacuation of diplomats’ families is likely to start next week, a source close to the Ukrainian government told CNN.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the evacuation would be an “overreaction,” CNN reported.
Ukraine’s President’s Office did not respond to the Kyiv Independent’s request for comment. A State Department official told CNN that the department would not comment on private discussions.
CNN also reported in December that the U.S. was working on contingency planning to evacuate Americans from Ukraine.
Oleg Sukhov is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is a former editor and reporter at the Moscow Times. He has a master's degree in history from the Moscow State University. He moved to Ukraine in 2014 due to the crackdown on independent media in Russia and covered war, corruption, reforms and law enforcement for the Kyiv Post.
