The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived by surprise in Vilnius, the first stop on a tour that will also take him to Tallinn and Riga. “Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are our reliable friends and partners”, wrote Zelensky himself on X.
“Today I arrived in Vilnius before going to Tallinn and Riga. I will hold talks with the president, the prime minister, the chairman of the Seismas, I will meet with politicians, the media and the Ukrainian community. The agenda includes security, EU and NATO integration, cooperation on electronic warfare and drones and further coordination of European support. But above all, our gratitude. For the unfailing support to Ukraine since 2014 and especially now, during the large-scale aggression of Russia,” he wrote.
Zelensky on Sunday in Davos
Zelensky will attend in person this year's World Economic Forum which opens next week in Davos. This was confirmed by the president of the WEF, Børge Brende, after the news was anticipated by the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. And on Sunday, the day before the official opening of the traditional forum in the Swiss Alps, a meeting on Ukraine will take place in which national security advisors and other senior officials from 70 countries will participate.
This will be the fourth meeting focused on the “peace formula” – after the one last October in Malta – for Ukraine presented by Zelensky. The Ukrainian government therefore intends to use the meeting to once again promote its plan, which involves the withdrawal of Russian forces from the occupied territories, including Crimea, along with guarantees for Ukraine's future security.
For the past two years, Zelensky has participated in the Forum via video conference, but last year his wife Olena traveled to Davos.
Moscow bombs 9 communities in Sumy
On the news front, Russian forces have shelled nine communities in Sumy Oblast in the past 24 hours, damaging homes and a local cultural center. This was reported by the regional military administration. The Russian army targeted the communities of Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Myropillia, Bilopillia, Seredyna-Buda, Svesy, Znob-Novhorodske, Novoslobidske and Esman with mortar and artillery attacks.
In Krasnopillia, a Shahed-type drone damaged a local cultural center, knocked down power lines and caused damage to houses. The city of Bilopillia, with a population of around 16,000, was the one that suffered the most intense attacks, with 25 explosions recorded in the area. The community is located just eight kilometers south and 25 kilometers west of the Ukraine-Russia border.
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