A key member of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party said his government would continue to send heavy weapons to Ukraine to help it fight back against Russia’s invasion, after already pledging Marder armoured fighting vehicles.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was sending reinforcements to two frontline towns in the Donetsk region that he said had seen some of the bloodiest fighting since Russia’s invasion.

Key developments

• UK considers sending battle tanks to Ukraine, officials say
• Commodity ship heads for inspection after Suez Canal mishap
• Putin’s energy gambit fizzles as warm winter saves Europe
• McCarthy’s Speaker deal could stymie defence spending next year
• US adds offensive weapons for Ukraine in $2.85-billion package

On the ground

Russian troops began a powerful assault on Soledar in Donetsk after suffering heavy losses in a previously unsuccessful attempt to capture the city, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Telegram, citing Minister Hanna Malyar.

Moscow’s forces shelled a market and residential areas in the Sumy, Kharkiv and Kherson regions, killing at least two people, injuring others and damaging at least 100 buildings, Ukrainian authorities said.

Moscow’s forces also carried out seven missile and 31 air strikes, as well as 73 multiple rocket launcher attacks over the past day, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook.

US’s Sullivan says Ukraine aid ‘rock solid’ despite McCarthy deal

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the $47-billion in new aid for Ukraine approved in the $1.7-trillion government funding bill last month would not be at risk. His comments followed a deal struck by new House Leader Kevin McCarthy with GOP hardliners to cap 2024 spending in a move that could potentially include efforts to cut defence spending.

“That is money that has been appropriated,” Sullivan said. “I do not see that money getting taken away from us and therefore our ability to have the resources to support Ukraine, with both the security assistance it needs, as well as the economic humanitarian and energy assistance it needs.”

Estonia to move ahead of EU with plans to seize Russian assets

Estonia plans to introduce a legal blueprint for seizing Russian assets this month as the Baltic nation moves ahead with a bid to deliver funds frozen under European Union sanctions to Ukraine.

The legal framework will come by the end of January as the European Commission develops a bloc-wide arrangement to deal with €300-billion ($322-billion) in Russian central-bank reserves and billions more in frozen assets of sanctioned Russian individuals.

UK mulls sending battle tanks to Ukraine

If it goes ahead, the move would be the first time a Western country has provided Ukraine with modern battle tanks to fight Russian forces. No final decision has been taken.

The Challenger 2 is a main battle tank designed to destroy other tanks, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence website.

Scholz ally sees no limits on arming Ukraine 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government will continue to send heavy weapons to Ukraine to help it fight back against Russia’s invasion.

Lars Klingbeil, the co-leader of Scholz’s ruling Social Democrats, told reporters in Berlin that his party is backing the chancellor’s course without limit, including Scholz’s latest decision — in tandem with the US — to supply Ukraine with armoured infantry fighting vehicles and an additional Patriot air-defence system.

Read more: German shift on combat vehicles triggers calls for battle tanks

Scholz has won praise from his domestic allies for pledging to send 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, but some of his coalition partners have called on him to go further by giving Kyiv Nato-grade Leopard 2 battle tanks.

Vessel that ran aground in Suez Canal was loaded with Ukrainian grain

The ship that briefly ran aground in the Suez Canal earlier on Monday was among the latest crop-export vessels that had departed Ukraine under the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The Glory had left Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port in late December, loaded with 65,970 tons of corn bound for China, according to the initiative’s shipping data. The ship has since been refloated and was being pulled by tugboats.

Sweden plans to bring back civil conscription 

Sweden’s government plans to bring back civil conscription to shore up its defence capabilities, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters.

The government will ask the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency to prepare education for people who would be asked to serve with municipal emergency services in the event of a military conflict.

The plan aims at bolstering civil defences while also providing an option for conscripts who are unwilling to undergo military training.

Power demand rises in Ukraine on cold weather

Power consumption in Ukraine is rising amid cold weather and increased demand from industry and businesses, forcing an expansion of limits on electricity consumption in all regions of the country, national grid operator Ukrnergo said on Telegram.

The energy supply situation in areas near the frontline remains difficult after Russian forces shelled a power-generating facility in the country’s east overnight. The nation’s energy system remained unable to cover all electricity needs in full, according to the statement.

Zelensky announces more troops for Bakhmut, Soledar

Ukraine’s army is transferring additional units to defend Bakhmut and Soledar in the Donetsk region against Russian forces, Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

The situation on the frontline hadn’t significantly changed in the first week of the year and remained difficult, he said. Near Bakhmut, a frontline city that has been largely destroyed during months of fighting, Ukrainian forces were repelling Russian attacks, he said. DM