"We will stop the Russian shadow fleet", warning from 14 EU countries. New trilateral in Abu Dhabi on 1 February

Washington also pledged to guarantee 'mirror' NATO Article 5 commitments to coordinate a military response in the event of a military attack after the end of the war, guarantees, however, deemed 'too weak' for Ukraine and 'too broad' for Russia.

Against this backdrop, the Ukrainian ambassador to Nato, Alyona Getmanchuk, dismissed the security guarantees proposed by Kiev's western partners as 'another nonsensical offer'. "Ukrainians have become extremely wary of any discussion of security guarantees. They will not accept another nonsensical offer, no matter how well packaged under the label of 'security guarantees'," Getmanchuk wrote in an article for The Telegraph newspaper published on Tuesday.

For the umpteenth time, the Kremlin to Zelensky: if he is ready, he can come and meet Putin in Moscow

President Putin "has said it several times", "if Zelensky is really ready for a meeting, then we will invite him to Moscow and we will ensure and guarantee, his safety and the necessary conditions for his work". This was stated by Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov, quoted by Tass. Similar statements were repeated several times in 2025 without success. "The issue of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky was raised several times during telephone conversations between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump. During these conversations Trump, in particular, suggested that we consider this possibility," he added.

Oil tankers of the Russian shadow fleet, which continue to circumvent Western sanctions, will no longer be allowed to operate freely in the Baltic Sea. The threat to Moscow was put in black and white by 14 European countries in a joint letter sent to the International Maritime Organisation. The document makes it clear that from now on, tankers that change flag, deactivate transponders, or lack the necessary documentation will be treated as stateless ships and can therefore be seized.

"It is crucial to ensure maritime safety, the smooth operation of shipping and the protection of seafarers and the marine environment, especially with regard to new situations such as the increasing use of shadow fleet vessels to evade international sanctions," reads the declaration signed by Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, calling for "accountability, transparency and decisive action".

The 14 European countries recall the importance for maritime safety of the 'Automatic Identification System (AIS), which ensures the coordination of ship movements and emergency response'. And they warn against 'manipulation and falsification of Ais data'. The same applies to global satellite navigation systems, which must be active at all times. All obligations that the Russian shadow fleet does not fulfil, precisely in order to evade possible controls and bring its cargoes to their destination.

Trump's photo with Putin hangs at the White House

White House staff hung a photo of US President Donald Trump with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, taken in Alaska during their summit, on the wall. As reported by Ukrinform, Elizabeth Landers, a journalist for the American broadcaster Pbs News, talked about it on the social network X, also posting a photo. "I noticed something I had never seen before in the lobby connecting the West Wing (of the White House, ed.) to the residence: a framed photo of Presidents Trump and Putin, taken during their summer summit in Alaska," Landers said. He added that in another photo, the one below, President Trump is pictured with one of his grandchildren.

In the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces neutralised 103 of 146 drones launched by the Russians overnight. This was announced by the Kiev Air Force, quoted by Ukrinform.

Two people were killed and four others wounded in a Russian attack nearKiev. This was announced by the regional military administration. The raid hit the town of Bilohorodka, on the south-eastern outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, said the head of the administration Mykola Kalashnyk. According to later reports by the head of the administration Mykola Kalashnyk, the two dead are said to be a husband and wife, and 'their 4-year-old child was treated on the spot', writes the Ukrainska Pravda.

"Four other people required medical attention," the official said. "A young woman and two children suffered a severe stress reaction and a man was poisoned by the products of combustion.

'Significant power outages persist,' Zelensky writes, 'in the Kiev region. To date there are more than 700 buildings in this condition in three districts of the capital.

At leastfive people were killed in a Russian attack on a passenger train in the Kharkiv region northeastern Ukraine. This was reported by the regional prosecutor's office, quoted by the Kiev Independent, pointing out that the attack was carried out with three Shahed drones, one of which hit the train, while the other two hit the surrounding area.

In a post on X, President Volodomyr Zelensky described the attack as a 'pure act of terrorism', pointing out that 'over 200 people were on board the train and 18 were in the carriage hit by one of the Russian drones'.

Finally, the Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian troops of causing the death of a woman and the wounding of two others in shelling raids on the Zaporizhzhia region in south-eastern Ukraine: the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reports this, citing local police.

"Italy is providing Ukraine with concrete support, through the delivery of industrial boilers and electric generators, to address the energy emergency caused by the deliberate Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure that are creating a humanitarian crisis in several large Ukrainian cities." This is what is stated in a note from Palazzo Chigi. "This is - the document underlines - a commitment made by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with President Zelensky during their meeting on the sidelines of the European Council last October 2025."

"Today," the note continues, "the delivery of the first batch of 78 industrial boilers is completed, and a further 300 will be delivered in the coming weeks, for a total capacity of around 900 thermal MW. The boilers are destined for damaged urban networks, hospitals and essential services. This humanitarian initiative of the Italian Government will make available a total thermal capacity sufficient for about 90,000 homes or an urban centre of about 250,000 inhabitants. At the same time, Italy has started a programme to send medium and large power electric generators. The generators will support hospitals, water plants and critical infrastructure in the event of a blackout. These government initiatives are in addition to the commendable private initiatives we are seeing to send generators to Ukraine'.

Moscow, 75 Kiev drones shot down over Russian regions overnight

Moscow's air defence forces dropped 75 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight. This was reported by the Russian Defence Ministry, quoted by Ria Novosti.

According to information from Der Spiegel and Süddeutsche Zeitung (Sz), ongoing investigations at Deutsche Bank on suspicion of money laundering are linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. The former owner of the Chelsea football club has been sanctioned by the EU since March 2022 in connection with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and was a client of Deutsche Bank. According to information provided by Sz, the bank failed to file one or more suspicious activity reports concerning Abramovich's companies in a timely manner.