Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine says it needs China for any peace process with Russia; Moscow says Kyiv’s plans mean nothing

Ukraine said on Monday it had destroyed a Russian Beriev A-50 spy plane and an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post in the Sea of Azov area, dealing a blow to Russian military operations in occupied southern Ukraine.

“Ukraine’s Air Force destroyed an enemy A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an enemy IL-22 air control centre,” army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

“I am grateful to the Air Force for the perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov Sea region!”

Reuters was unable to verify the statement independently. The Russian defence ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

The Ukrainian defence ministry valued the A-50 aircraft at $330 million. Kyiv’s statements did not say how the planes had been destroyed.

The A-50, which first came into service near the end of the Soviet era, is a large Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft that can scan an area several hundred kilometres across for enemy aircraft, ships and missiles.

Some Russian military bloggers said the downing of the aircraft would be a huge loss for Russia’s air force, since there was a limited number of the planes in service.

“It will be another dark day for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Air Defense,” wrote Rybar, a blogger with nearly 1.2 million subscribers that supports and provides running commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“There are not many A-50s. And the specialists operating them are generally rare. If an aircraft of this type is hit, the crew will not be able to escape.” It was not clear how many A-50s Russia has in service.

— Reuters

A photo and video exhibition showcasing the atrocities of war dominates at the Ukraine House in Davos, Switzerland.

For the third year running, the pop-up dedicated to the war in Ukraine is attracting attention on the promenade of the World Economic Forum’s annual summit.

This year, a collaboration with TikTok sees a rolling stream of videos of everyday life in the war-torn country, as captured by Ukrainians and shared under the hashtag #IliveinUA.

“This is life today in Ukraine. Defended against death and terror. Unbreakable,” a caption next to the exhibition reads.

Meanwhile, a photo montage documents some of the most devastating moments of the war since it unfolded on Feb. 24, 2022.

A further board highlights an “incomplete map of Russian war crimes in Ukraine” up to Jan. 3, 2024, listing 100,850 war crimes against peace, human security and international legal order. Russia has maintained that it is not committing war crimes in Ukraine.

Ukraine House Davos will throughout the week host a series of panels discussing the ongoing conflict, including the view from Washington as attendees contemplate a potential change in political leadership and waning support for Ukraine ahead of the upcoming U.S. election.

— Karen Gilchrist

The Kremlin poured cold water on Ukraine’s attempts to drum up support for its peace proposals at the World Economic Forum, saying nothing could be achieved without Russia.

“This is simply talking for the sake of talking,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, Reuters reported, when asked by reporters Monday about the discussions on Ukraine at Davos.

“This process cannot be aimed at achieving any specific results for the obvious reason — we are not participating. Without our participation, any discussions are devoid of any prospect of any results.”

Ukrainian officials presented Kyiv’s 10-point “peace formula” on Sunday at an event co-hosted with Switzerland. Russia was not involved in the conference of national security advisors. Neither was its ally China.

The ongoing war in Ukraine is among the biggest talking points at the WEF event this year. Ukraine has deemed that any talks with Russia are illegal, and Russia has sought to capitalize on this, calling the position “absurd” while saying it is ready for talks with Ukraine.

Ukraine has said it will not talk to Moscow while Russian troops are on its territory.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian claims that 500,000 military personnel were recruited in 2023 are highly likely to be exaggerated, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Monday.

Referring to comments on Jan. 11 by Russian Deputy Chair of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who claimed that 500,000 people had joined the Russian armed forces in 2023, the ministry said it was “highly likely that this figure has been substantially inflated.”

Nonetheless, the U.K. noted in its

— Holly Ellyatt

China needs to be involved in talks to end the war with Russia, Ukraine’s top representative said after a high-level diplomatic meeting ahead of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Sunday it was important that Russian ally China was at the table when Kyiv convenes further meetings on its peace formula.

Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Bern, Switzerland on Monday to meet the President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd.

Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, who attended Sunday’s discussions, told an earlier news conference: “We must do everything to end this war.”

“China plays a significant role. We must find ways to work with China on this,” Cassis said, adding that both Russia and Ukraine were not willing to make concessions.

Zelenskyy is also likely to meet JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon at Davos this week as he tries to seek support to shore up funds for Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter said. Bloomberg News first reported about Zelenskyy’s plans to meet Dimon.

— Reuters