First, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. And finally for today, a link to a column by a Brookings Institution fellow that appeared this week in the Washington Post and dozens of other newspapers. — MCM
– – –
A tradition of plunging in an icy river persists in Ukraine, despite the war. Reported by Elissa Nadworny, photographer Claire Harbage and Hanna Palamarenko | NPR DNIPRO, Ukraine — Many of the people here have been doing this for years and are far less interested in the washing away of their sins and more into the idea of a fresh start, a clean mind and a jump start as they begin the new year. “It gives you a little bit of . . . Click HERE to listen, read, and look at photos.
– – –
Defense leaders meet amid dissent over tanks for Ukraine, by Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp | AP RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Defense leaders gathered at Ramstein Air Base in Germany heard an impassioned plea for more aid today from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they struggled to resolve ongoing dissentover who will provide battle tanks and other military aid to his embattled country. “This is a . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Ukraine holds out for tanks as U.S. tells allies to ‘dig deeper’, by Idrees Ali and Tom Balmforth | Reuters * Pressure on Germany over its Leopard battle tanks * U.S. announces latest military aid package of up to $2.5 bln * CIA Director William Burns in secret Kyiv meeting with Zelenskiy | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany/KYIV — Ukraine said it expected strong decisions from NATO and other countries that are meeting on Friday to discuss whether to send modern battle tanks and the United States said it was time to “dig deeper” to help Kyiv confront Russian forces. The defence ministers’ talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany follow . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Ukraine Says Detained 7 ‘Russian Agents.’ From AFP. Ukraine said today it had detained seven people suspected of handing coordinates to Russian forces for strikes in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where dozens of civilians were recently killed in a missile attack. The SBU security service . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Russian engineering troops receive over 20 robotic vehicles — commander. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian defense enterprises delivered over 20 robotic vehicles to army engineers under the 2022 defense procurement plan, Chief of Russia’s Engineering Troops Lieutenant-General Yury Stavitsky said in an interview published today. “Under the state defense procurement . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Why Ukraine’s allies are reluctant to send U.S. or German battle tanks. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Rob Schmitz | NPR Ukraine’s allies are announcing their latest weapons packages for the country. But not all of them agree on whether to share western-designed and made heavy battle tanks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
– – –
The time for incrementalism is over. Send in the tanks, by Michael O’Hanlon | The Brookings Institution WASHINGTON — The issue at hand is whether the United States and its allies should provide Kyiv with modern, Western-made heavy tanks — weapons that would greatly boost the Ukrainians’ battlefield power, especially for maneuver warfare of the type needed to retake much or most of the roughly 17 percent of Ukrainian territory that Russia still holds. (Britain has announced . . . READ MORE . . .