Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Thursday, January 9, 2025, discover the latest news around this conflict.
Washington announces new military aid of $500 million to Ukraine
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Thursday new American military aid to Ukraine amounting to around $500 million (485 million euros), a few days before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“Ukraine’s fight concerns us all”said Lloyd Austin who is leading his last meeting of the “contact group” partners from kyiv to Ramstein, an American air base not far from Frankfurt.
“The coalition that supports Ukraine must not falter. It must not falter. And it must not fail. The United States of America has always been a reliable partner, we will always be a reliable partner future (…) Our values do not change, nor does our commitment to our allies and partners.”
Today, at the Ramstein Contact Group. In nearly three years of full-scale war, we’ve proven that when we stand united, no one is too small to impact history. We’ve come so far that it would be crazy to drop the ball now and stop building on the defense coalitions we’ve created. pic.twitter.com/7bzDUBwowK
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1877340291293761653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Russian attack leaves 13 dead and 113 injured in Zaporizhia
A Russian guided bomb attack killed at least 13 people and injured 113 in the southeastern Ukrainian town of Zaporizhia, authorities said. Apartment buildings were damaged, as well as an industrial facility and other infrastructure, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said on Telegram.
The debris hit a tram and a bus with passengers inside, he added. Russian troops used two guided bombs to hit a residential area, regional governor Ivan Fedorov told reporters. Ten of the 60 people hospitalized following the attack remain in serious condition, he said.
“There is nothing more cruel than dropping aerial bombs on a city knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer”President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Regional authorities reported more explosions after the first strike. Ivan Fedorov said Russian troops shelled the town of Stepnohirsk, south of Zaporizhia, killing two people. Russia regularly carries out airstrikes on the Zaporizhia region, partially occupied by its forces.
The Ukrainian public television channel Suspilne also reported two people killed and ten others injured in attacks targeting several locations in the Kherson region, also partially occupied by Russian forces.
Trump: a “new chapter” for Europe, which must “cooperate even more”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the arrival on January 20 at the White House of Donald Trump opened a “new chapter” for Europeans, who must “cooperate even more”ensuring that they see a “period of opportunity”.
“It is clear that a new chapter is opening for Europe and the whole world – in just 11 days – a time when we will have to cooperate even more, rely even more on each other and achieve even more results together important” Mr Zelensky said at a meeting of his country’s allies in Germany.
