Zelenskyy's main statements in Davos and border unblocking by Polish carriers - Tuesday brief

Russia's war against Ukraine

• Series of explosions heard in Russian city of Voronezh, fire broke out in multi-story building;

• Ukrainian soldiers destroy Russian Osa air defense system with HIMARS;

• Russia-Ukraine war: Frontline update as of January 16.

Polish carriers agree to end Ukrainian border blockade

Polish long-haul truckers, who have blocked some border crossings with Ukraine since early November, have reached an agreement on certain conditions with the government and will suspend their protest on January 17 at 13:00 Kyiv time, according to Reuters.

Polish drivers demanded that the EU reinstate the system requiring permits for Ukrainian companies to operate in the bloc, as well as for European long-haul truckers entering Ukraine.

The Ministry of Infrastructure of Poland has organized a press conference for today, during which the agreement is expected to be signed.

About Putin, risks of war and peace: Zelenskyy's main statements in Davos

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on January 16, spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with a special address. During this, he called Russian dictator Vladimir Putin the sole cause of conflicts in the world, explained the threats posed by freezing the war, and urged to join the Ukrainian "peace formula."

RBC-Ukraine has compiled the main statements of the president.

EU starts work on proposals regarding frozen Russian assets

The European Union has commenced technical work to implement proposals regarding the utilization of frozen Russian assets in the interests of Ukraine, says Belgian Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem during a press conference after the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

He mentioned that the EU Financial Council is currently focusing on two key issues:

• Macro-financial support for Ukraine;
• The frozen assets of the Russian Federation that can be used in the interests of Ukraine.

It is worth noting that Belgium currently holds the presidency of the EU Council on Economic and Financial Affairs, taking over from Spain.

The Belgian Finance Minister revealed that work on the so-called Ukrainian fund in the EU is nearing completion, which will help continue financial support for Kyiv.

Step toward EU membership: Zelenskyy agrees with von der Leyen on Ukrainian legislation screening

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held negotiations with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. They agreed on the start of screening Ukrainian legislation, according to the press service of the Office of the President.

During the negotiations, Zelenskyy and von der Leyen discussed key priorities on the agenda of relations between Ukraine and the EU, particularly regarding the actual start of negotiations on EU membership.

The parties also focused on the decision to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros from the EU at the summit scheduled for February 1. Zelenskyy expressed hope for consensus on this matter.

Trump's statement regarding end of war in Ukraine

Donald Trump declared that he is ready to quickly resolve the situation with the war in Ukraine, referencing his speech in Iowa.

"The Ukraine situation is so horrible... And we are going to get it solved very fast," he said.

According to him, he gets along great with Putin, and he believes that it's more of a good thing than a bad thing.

"Putin and I get along fine. We get along very well. That's a good thing, not a bad thing," he assured.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of involving not only the Kremlin's head, Vladimir Putin but also the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in resolving the issue.

"I know President Putin very well, I know Zelenskyy very well, I am going to get him, and we are gonna get it solved very quickly. This (war - editor's note) should have never happened," Trump added.

Pentagon announces date for Ramstein-18 meeting

The new meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine (Ramstein) is scheduled for next week, on January 23, according to the Pentagon's page.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke on the phone today with Ukraine's Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov to discuss the latest developments on the ground and the upcoming meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine, scheduled for January 23.

The Pentagon noted that the meeting would take place in a virtual format.