Latest Developments in Ukraine: Jan. 30

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EST. 4 a.m.: Turkey will hold a natural gas summit on February 14-15 to bring together gas supplier countries and Europe's consumer countries, Reuters reported Turkish energy minister Fatih Donmez as saying on Monday.  "We will bring together supplier countries from Middle East, Mediterranean, Caspian and Middle Asia with consumer countries from Europe," Donmez said.  Speaking at an event, Donmez said the meeting is scheduled to take place in Istanbul.  3:30 a.m.: Russia's deputy foreign minister said in an interview published on Monday that it was "quite possible" the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the United States would end after 2026. "This is quite a possible scenario," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA news agency in an interview, cited by Reuters. U.S.-Russia talks on resuming inspections under the New START treaty, which expires in February 2026, were called off at the last minute in November 2022. Neither side has agreed on a time frame for new talks. 3 a.m.: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sought to drum up support for Ukraine during his first South American tour although differences with his hosts emerged, with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez declaring the region was not planning on sending weapons. According to Reuters, on his three-day trip, Scholz has sought to stress unity, noting all three countries he is visiting — Argentina, Chile and Brazil — condemned Russia's invasion at the United Nations General Assembly last year. The fallout of the war and Western sanctions on Russia such as soaring food and energy prices, however, have hit the region particularly hard, raising questions over the West's approach. Fernandez said in a joint news conference with Scholz in Buenos Aires on Saturday that Argentina, like Germany, wanted to help restore peace as soon as possible. But asked if Argentina would send weapons to Ukraine to fend off Russian troops like Germany and its western allies had, he gave an emphatic no. "Argentina and Latin America are not planning to send weapons to Ukraine or any other conflict zone," he said. Chilean President Gabriel Boric did not refer to the war in his opening statements at a news conference with Scholz in Santiago de Chile on Sunday, focusing instead on economic cooperation, particularly in the commodities sector. 2:30 a.m.: Negotiations on creating a safety zone around Ukraine's Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are tough, and Kyiv appears to be just stalling for time, Reuters reported Monday, citing Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti which quoted Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. "While consultations with the IAEA are ongoing, it would not be right to make public information about the possible parameters of the ZNPP protection zone. The negotiation process is not progressing easily," Ryabkov said in an interview with the agency. "We handed over our proposals to Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general. As far as we know, Kyiv has not yet given a clear answer to the initiative of the IAEA head. Apparently, it's just stalling." 2 a.m.: Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi is set to visit Moscow in February, Russia's Vedomosti newspaper said on Monday, citing two sources. According to the newspaper, Wang may visit Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of the sources said. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the report. 1:47 a.m.: 1:30 a.m.: Russia's deputy foreign minister said in an interview published on state media Monday that it was "quite possible" the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the United States would end after 2026, according to Reuters. "This is quite a possible scenario," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA news agency in an interview. U.S.-Russia talks on resuming inspections under the New START treaty, which expires in February 2026, were called off at the last minute in November 2022. Neither side has agreed on a time frame for new talks. 1 a.m.: Ukraine's world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has told Agence France-Presse he has two goals this year — a unification title fight with Tyson Fury and rebuilding the house where his "good friend" was killed by Russian soldiers. Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi, a former teammate of Usyk, was shot in the hall of the building in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv. Usyk has teamed up with the charity United24 and is raising funds to restore the badly damaged five-story house to its former glory. He has contributed $205,000 towards the overall cost of $330,000. In a Zoom interview, Usyk told AFP it had been a coincidence he had selected the building to take a look. "I randomly chose this house," the 36-year-old former cruiserweight world champion said through an interpreter. "When we came to look at it and saw how destroyed the house was, I was a little surprised. In this house there was a boxing gym of my good friend. He and I were in the national team, we went to boxing competitions together. Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi was shot by Russian soldiers right in this hall." When Russia invaded Ukraine last February, Usyk had wanted to take up arms immediately. However, he was dissuaded from doing so as his compatriots felt that in his role as a sports star with global renown, he could add another weapon to the Ukrainian war chest. "The guys from the Armed Forces convinced me that I need to prepare and fight to help my country on the international stage, talk about it and bring opportunities to Ukraine to restore my country," he said. 12:32 a.m.: 12:01 a.m.: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea on Monday to increase military support to Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict after Russia's invasion, Reuters reported. Stoltenberg is in Seoul, the first stop on a trip that will include Japan and is aimed at strengthening ties with U.S. allies in the face of the war in Ukraine and rising competition with China. Speaking at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul, he thanked South Korea for its non-lethal aid to Ukraine, but urged it to do more, adding there is an "urgent need" for ammunition. Russia calls the invasion a "special operation." "I urge the Republic of Korea to continue and to step up on the specific issue of military support," he said. "At the end of the day, it's a decision for you to make, but I'll say that several NATO allies who have had as a policy to never export weapons to countries in a conflict have changed that policy now." In meetings with senior South Korean officials, Stoltenberg argued that events in Europe and North America are interconnected with other regions, and that the alliance wants to help manage global threats by increasing partnerships in Asia. South Korea has signed major deals providing hundreds of tanks, aircraft and other weapons to NATO member Poland since the war began, but South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said that his country's law against providing arms to countries in conflicts makes providing weapons to Ukraine difficult. Stoltenberg noted that countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Norway had similar policies but changed them. "If we don't want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they need weapons, that's the reality," he said, referring to Ukraine. The NATO chief said it was "extremely important" that Russia doesn't win this war, not only for the Ukrainians but also to avoid sending a wrong message to authoritarian leaders, including in Beijing, that they can get what they want by force. Although China is not NATO's adversary, it has become "much higher" on NATO's agenda, Stoltenberg said, citing Beijing's rising military capabilities and coercive behavior in the region. In a statement carried by state media on Monday, North Korea called Stoltenberg's visit a "prelude to confrontation and war as it brings the dark clouds of a 'new Cold War' to the Asia-Pacific region." Last year South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defense, counterterrorism, disaster response and other security areas. The NATO chief's visit also comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was due to arrive in Seoul on Monday for talks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-Sup. Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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