Pro-Russian forces announced control of the strategic center of the city of Solidar, while Ukraine confirmed that it was still defending the city with difficulty. NATO and the European Union signed an agreement to support Kyiv on Tuesday, amid news of a fundamental change in the US support and training it provides to Ukraine.

The pro-Russian Donetsk authorities said they had taken control of the center of the city of Solidar in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine, adding that the Wagner Group forces had begun the process of combing the city.

The Russian forces had previously announced that they were making progress on the fighting axis there, while Kyiv described the Russian progress as partial, confirming its continued control of the city.

And the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine stated at dawn today, Wednesday, that her country's forces are still defending their positions in Solidar, and that the Russian army continues to fight despite the huge losses it suffered.

In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the situation in Donetsk is difficult and requires a new level of military assistance.

The Ukrainian president directed his appeal to the West, saying that "the free world has what it takes to stop Russian aggression against our country and inflict a historic defeat on Moscow."

Zelensky had said yesterday that his country had gained additional time thanks to the Ukrainian soldiers, and that it would liberate the entire Donbass region.

Ukrainian officials confirmed that the Ukrainian forces are facing waves of attacks by Russian forces on the salt-producing city of Solidar near the city of Bakhmut, in light of Moscow's efforts to achieve its first major victory in the east in months.

Support and training

On the other hand, CNN quoted senior US officials as saying that the United States has fundamentally changed the type of weapons provided to Ukraine, which will give it greater decisiveness.

The officials told the network that the weapons provided to Ukraine came in response to Kyiv's request, and that it would give Ukraine a much greater capacity.

They added that Ukraine has largely complied with restrictions on the use of weapons provided by the West, easing reservations about sending more advanced systems.

The network also quoted US and Ukrainian officials as saying that Russian artillery fire has decreased significantly from its highest levels in wartime, declining in some places by up to 75%.

CNN reported that the officials had no explanation for the decline, saying that in either case, the dramatic drop in artillery fire was evidence of Russia's increasingly weak position on the battlefield nearly a year into the war.

And the Pentagon announced that the training of Ukrainian forces on the Patriot system will begin next week at the Fort Sill base in the US state of Oklahoma, where the Patriot system will be delivered to Kiev after the end of these exercises.

Department spokesman Pat Ryder told reporters that the training will prepare approximately 90 to 100 Ukrainian servicemen to operate, maintain, and sustain the defense system during a training course that is expected to last several months.

On December 21, US President Joe Biden announced a military aid package to Ukraine worth $1.85 billion, including the missile air defense system.


Europe and NATO

In a joint statement, the European Union and NATO affirmed their commitment to full support for Ukraine and its right to defend itself, adding that the two parties will enhance cooperation in the areas of security in Europe, and will devote capabilities to achieving common goals.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the agreement aims to strengthen the partnership between the two parties against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as he described it.

"We want to raise cooperation to new heights, and we have many values ​​and goals that unite us with the European Union," Stoltenberg said, adding that "the Russian regime wants a different Europe and control over its neighbors and sees democracy as a threat to it."

Later, the United States announced that it would hold a meeting with its allies in Germany next week, for a new round of talks on military support for Ukraine.

The US base, Ramstein in Germany, said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will personally host the Ukraine Contact Group meeting on January 20 in Ramstein.

European Council President Charles Michel agreed that NATO remains essential to the EU's defense, but stressed that a French-led push to promote European "strategic autonomy" had not been abandoned.

"Make Europe stronger makes NATO stronger, because stronger allies make stronger alliances," Michel said.

Efforts to expand the European Union's defensive role have raised warnings of possible overlap with NATO, and have also raised concern for countries in Eastern Europe that do not want to mitigate Washington's position as the main guarantor of their security.

A number of diplomats and military experts have already presented their assessment of what is possible, as former NATO Secretary General Andreas Rasmussen suggested arming Ukraine well, and arranging a strategic partnership on a bilateral basis with the West, allowing the deployment of soldiers in Ukraine.

As for the former commander of US forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, he believes that security guarantees will not be sufficient without Ukraine's full membership in NATO, and providing it with long-range weapons to deter Russia.

In turn, the former Italian ambassador to NATO, Stefano Stefanini, believes that the whole idea of ​​security guarantees is outdated, and that the solution lies in what he called "creative diplomatic solutions" that guarantee the provision of some strong prospects for peace and security.


European positions

In a related context, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that no final decision had yet been taken on sending British tanks to Ukraine.

This came after media reports that Britain is evaluating the advantages of providing Ukraine with Challenger 2 tanks to help the Ukrainian army confront Russian forces.

The British Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the reports, but said the British government was committed to providing Ukraine with military aid of the same amount as last year or more, and that it would continue to provide training and more military equipment to Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Analina Baerbock visited the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which is close to the front lines of the war, becoming the first member of the German cabinet to visit the region directly.

Birbock said that the traces of Russian destruction are deep on every corner and street, and described the city as a symbol of the sheer madness of the Russian war in Ukraine and the endless suffering that people face, she said.

And the German minister promised to provide more weapons to Kiev, in addition to "concrete offers" to help it join the European Union.

Russian position

In Moscow, the Russian presidency said that the involvement of the United States and NATO in the current situation in Ukraine is clear, and they have become a de facto indirect party to the conflict.

The Kremlin added that attempts to confiscate Russian assets would have consequences for all countries that would try to support this option.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, said that the West wants to erase Russia from the world map, and that the war in Ukraine is a confrontation with NATO, considering that Russia has all the resources to achieve economic sovereignty.

Patrushev added that Russia needs a strong army and intelligence to face military threats, and considered that Russia's self-sufficiency disturbs the West, which seeks to dismember the country, as he put it.

The Russian official considered that the sudden withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan was largely due to the need to focus on Ukraine.

Difficulty negotiating

On the other hand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he did not see any real indications that Russia was ready to start serious negotiations with his country, and that there was nothing left for Russian President Vladimir Putin but to accept defeat.

And he added in an interview with state national radio that the Russians don't have many options, except for one option they don't want to admit, which is to declare the war lost.

Kuleba accused Russia's leaders of not being interested in searching for a real diplomatic way out, contenting themselves with throwing more of their forces towards the fronts to win at any cost.

On the other hand, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country has made and continues to make great efforts to end the war.

Cavusoglu added that Turkey believes that the war will end at the negotiating table, as he put it.