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Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 01-17-2025 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
Amid a litany of missed chances and missteps, the Biden administration’s policy blunders and hesitant strategies shaped the US response to Putin’s war against Ukraine.
In his final weeks as president, Joe Biden has taken decisive actions to support Ukraine. In addition to continuing the disbursement of congressionally approved aid, the White House has imposed stringent sanctions on Russia’s oil industry and targeted its “ghost fleet” of oil tankers. These measures have already resulted in some ships being denied entry to Chinese ports, with India announcing plans to follow suit. While these sanctions are a welcome development, they echo much of Biden’s presidency: too little, too late.
It was always obvious that targeting oil exports was the best tool to keep Vladimir Putin in check. However, despite intelligence reports indicating an impending invasion of Ukraine, Biden made the foolish decision to lift sanctions on Nord Stream 2 in May 2021, further entrenching Europe’s economic and energy dependence on Russia.
The best option would be to convince Trump of how important Ukraine and European defense are to US interests. But in the worst case, Europe can align more closely with China.
Listening to the various Trump picks’ confirmation hearings in Congress this week it seems pretty clear now that there is no meaningful Trump grand plan about how to quickly end the war in Ukraine.
Indeed, backtracking by Trump himself, Kellogg, et al, from the position that the war can be ended in a matter of days in/around the inauguration to it will likely take some months, suggests they are now in search of a plan.
On January 9, 2025, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces detained two North Korean troops in the Kursk region, marking the first verifiable evidence of Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the war.
Around 100 civilians who had fled fighting were at the facility, mainly women and children, at the time of the attack, Kyiv reported
Kyiv said on Friday that Russian attack drones had struck a school that shelters displaced Russians in Ukrainian-held territory in Russia’s western Kursk region.
Ukraine launched a shock cross-border offensive into Kursk last year but have since been struggling to hold swathes of territory it captured in the largest incursion of foreign forces into Russia since World War II.
The guest list for Donald Trump’s unconventional inauguration includes many populist politicians while omitting a number of serving centrist figures in Europe.
No, President Volodymyr Zelensky will not be attending soon-to-be US President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 – due to a lack of invitation.
While the ceremony typically only involves foreign diplomats attending as a courtesy, not world leaders, Trump extended his invitation to a number of foreign heads of state and politicians – many on the far-right – whilst omitting many of the serving leaders.
UIA International Lawyers Association indicated that pressure on defense lawyers is destroying what little is left of the rule of law in Russia.
Russia on Friday sentenced three lawyers who had defended Alexei Navalny to several years in prison for bringing messages from the late opposition leader from prison to the outside world.
The case, which comes amid a massive crackdown on dissent during the invasion of Ukraine, has alarmed rights groups who fear Moscow will ramp up trials against legal representatives in addition to jailing their clients.
According to Ukrainian lawmakers, servicemen from mobile firing groups trained to operate anti-aircraft weapons are the ones to be transferred to the Ground Forces.
More than 2,000 specialists from the Ukrainian Air Force could be reassigned to infantry and attack units, Ruslan Horbenko, a People’s Deputy from the “Servant of the People” party, said during an interview on the “Novyny.Life” TV channel on Thursday, Jan. 16.
However, these won’t be aircraft maintenance specialists, he added. Instead, servicemen from mobile firing groups trained to operate anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) weapons are the ones to be transferred to the Ground Forces.
Here’s your daily selection of notable comments made in the media concerning the war in Ukraine.
From the Editors: Kyiv Post has launched a new section where we will provide a regular selection of notable comments made in the media concerning the war in Ukraine.
“Just consider Russia. When Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought he’d conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. But the truth is, since that war began, I’m the only one that stood in the center of Kyiv, not him. Putin never had. Think about it.
The incoming US administration is considering good-faith measures to ease sanctions if things move forward. Or, if not, then harder sanctions to pressure Moscow, sources say.
Advisers to US President-elect Donald Trump are considering oil sanctions as a key instrument to help seal the Ukraine peace deal, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing “people familiar with the matter.”
The plan consists of two main approaches: good faith measures to benefit Russian oil producers if a peace deal is on the horizon, or harder sanctions as leverage to pressure Moscow into negotiating, the source alleged.
Not exactly the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ anymore – but still, America got some stuff right.
There is plenty to criticize about the administration of President Joe Biden’s military support to Ukraine, most obviously because after four years of assistance in response to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine isn’t victorious nor has Russia stopped attacking. That being said, the US taxpayer money the Biden administration committed to that effort – $65.9 billion, per the latest (Jan. 8) Pentagon fact sheet on US security assistance to Ukraine – is orders of magnitude more massive, than the Republican (Donald J. Trump) and Democratic (Barack H. Obama) administrations that preceded it.
Prior to Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine, but directly following Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine, from 2014-2021, the US sent Ukraine security assistance worth, in total, $1.5 billion.
The industrial city, which is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been under persistent Russian bombardment since the beginning of the Kremlin’s invasion in February 2022.
A Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig in the centre of the country on Friday, Jan. 17, killed three people and wounded others, the regional governor said.
The industrial city, which is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been under persistent Russian bombardment since the beginning of the Kremlin’s invasion in February 2022.
Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.
Vladimir Putin is likely going to use nuclear blackmail to convince Trump to let Russia expand its sphere of influence not just in Ukraine, but possibly farther in Europe
Donald Trump said that Vladimir Putin wants to meet. Whatever is decided in that meeting, the consequences are going to reverberate not just across Ukraine, but the CEE region and the world.
Trump has nominated Keith Kellogg, a former national security adviser and retired lieutenant-general in the US military, to be special envoy to Ukraine and Russia for his second administration.
The world in focus, as seen by Canadian leading global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw in a quick review of the biggest news in international media today.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last minute snags in finalizing a ceasefire that would pause 15 months of war. Netanyahu said he would convene his security Cabinet later Friday and then the government to approve the long-awaited agreement. Netanyahu’s statement appeared to clear the way for the Israeli government to approve of the deal, which would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and see dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It would also allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the remains of their homes in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory on Thursday - AP
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have started discussing the possibility of sending British and French soldiers to Ukraine as peacekeeping forces if Moscow and Kyiv reach a ceasefire agreement, The Telegram reported. Sources from the U.K. government told the newspaper that Starmer has yet to reach a final decision. On January 15, Bloomberg reported that the British government was in “intense discussions” about the possibility of deploying peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. The agency’s sources said that the idea faced opposition from members of Starmer’s office and in other parts of the U.K. government due to security concerns. Bloomberg noted that Starmer was expected to raise the issue of peacekeepers during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On January 16, the Associated Press reported that Starmer had traveled to Kyiv on his first visit, a trip that had not been previously announced.
As many as 12,000 North Korean soldiers now fighting against Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region could be killed or injured by mid-April, says an ISW report.
A military contingent of 12,000 North Korean (DPRK) soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region could be killed or wounded by mid-April 2025, according to a new report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
“North Korea reportedly transferred roughly 12,000 North Korean personnel to Kursk Oblast, and the entirety of this North Korean contingent in Kursk Oblast may be killed or wounded in roughly 12 weeks (about mid-April 2025) should North Korean forces continue to suffer similarly high casualty rates in the future,” the ISW said.
The agreement comes just three days before Iran-hawk Donald Trump enters the White House and as Moscow and Tehran seek to formalise their close relationship.
Russia and Iran will sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty on Friday during a visit to Moscow by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, cementing ties between two of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries.
The agreement comes just three days before Iran-hawk Donald Trump enters the White House and as Moscow and Tehran seek to formalise their close relationship after years of deepening cooperation.
There are fears in Ukraine that the incoming Trump administration will force Kyiv to capitulation. Yet there is a way for Ukraine to use a potential ceasefire to its advantage.
The incoming US presidential administration has raised many fears in the pro-Ukraine world with its talk of peace on day one. Many of us figured that the only way that could be achieved was through capitulation to Kremlin demands and corresponding strangulation of American weapons supply to Kyiv. This week we get word that President-elect Donald Trump now thinks it is slightly more complicated than he originally thought and that it would take six months. It’s still fast, but maybe, just maybe, it won’t be achieved on the back of Ukrainian aspirations.
There is a clear divide among the advisors and officials slated for the administration so far. And while there are indeed some who would advocate cut-and-run, there appear to be at least as many who advocate strategies that would seek to accelerate peace by strengthening Ukraine and persuading Russia that it cannot win and should negotiate.
Ukraine has said that around 2,000 civilians remain in territory it controls, while Russia has put the number reported missing at less than 1,000.
Ukrainian human rights commissioner said Thursday, Jan. 16, that he had discussed with his Russian counterpart the search for residents missing from Russia’s Kursk border region after Ukrainian troops seized territory there last August.
Ukraine has said that around 2,000 civilians remain in territory it controls, while Russia has put the number reported missing at less than 1,000.
Despite finding the planning of investments in Ukraine difficult, EBRD’s plans for the coming year are steady, according to an interview with the bank’s representative by Bloomberg.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) plans to invest €1.5 billion ($1.54 billion) in Ukraine in 2025, Arvid Tuerkner, the EBRD’s managing director for Ukraine and Moldova, told Bloomberg in a zoom interview.
“Planning is a difficult thing in Ukraine” but “more is possible if we find the right deals,” he said.
The deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma’s defense committee said it was crucial to improve military enlistment processes to address ‘long-term threats from the West.’
Alexey Zhuravlev, deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma’s defense committee, has urged Russia to prepare its male population “for potential mobilization,” claiming Western nations could be ready to attack Russia within the next three to four years.
“Europe is telling us that by 2028-29, they’ll be ready to fight Russia. We need to train our men now and defend the Motherland,” Zhuravlev said in an interview with the Abzats media outlet.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
US House Speaker installed isolationist to replace Pro-Ukraine Intel Chair; Kyiv and Moscow may be engaged in secret talks in Qatar; Dutch and Italian ministers in Kyiv announce new aid packages.
On Thursday, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson replaced a pro-Ukraine congressman as the House Intelligence Committee chairman with a far-right representative who has railed against foreign military aid.
Johnson announced that Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) will take over the job that oversees all American intelligence agencies and activities, replacing Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), who was broadly seen as a key Republican supporter of Ukraine.
