A child was among those killed when the emergency services helicopter went down in flames near a kindergarten and an apartment building on Wednesday morning, authorities said after search and rescue operations ended, revising an earlier count. Another 25 people were injured, including 11 children.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow has not seen any “serious” proposals from the West to end the war. Russia isn’t willing to negotiate with President Volodymyr Zelensky, he said at his annual press conference. Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies to speed up aid in a video link call to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Key developments

• Ukrainian Interior Minister killed in helicopter crash near Kyiv
• Ukraine seeks to add steel to grain export deal, minister says
• War in Ukraine strains ties between Putin and his old Serb ally
• Enterprising Russians plug consumer gaps caused by sanctions
• Wagner founder is Putin’s model entrepreneur: Leonid Bershidsky

On the ground

Russian troops are focusing their main efforts on the assault toward the eastern city of Bakhmut, while also conducting unsuccessful offensive operations on the Avdiyivka axis, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook. 

Ukrainian forces repelled attacks near nine settlements in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and shot down a Russian Su-25 jet near Soledar, according to the General Staff’s statement. 

The Nikopol district in the central Dnipropetrovsk region was shelled again overnight, local authorities said on Telegram.

Zelensky at Davos urges allies to speed aid to Ukraine

“The world must not hesitate today and ever,” he told the World Economic Forum via a video link. 

“Mobilisation of the world must outpace [the] next military mobilisation of our joint enemy. The supplying of Ukraine with air defence systems must outpace Russia’s next missile attacks.”

Canada to provide Ukraine with 200 armoured personnel carriers

The machines are additional Canadian military aid to Ukraine, which has already reached $1bn, Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said in Kyiv at a joint press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov.

According to Anand, the Canadian government is buying APCs from manufacturer Roshel Inc worth 90 million Canadian dollars. Earlier, Canada announced plans to provide air defence systems, ammunition and howitzers, as well as continue military training of Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine expects to discuss Leopard tanks supply to Ukraine 

Ukraine will urge its partners to provide more air defence systems, as well as tanks, including German Leopards, and other armoured vehicles, which would boost the Ukrainian counteroffensive and deoccupation of its territory, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said at a joint press conference with his Canadian counterpart.

“As of now, Germany has no arguments to suspend the supply… the ball is on their side,” Reznikov said. “Hope will hear the position of German government at upcoming Ramstein meeting.”

Zelensky hails helicopter crash officials as patriots 

The officials who died in the helicopter crash were true patriots, Zelensky said on Telegram. Ukraine’s Security Service started an investigation, with possible causes including a flight rules violation, a technical malfunction and intentional actions to damage the aircraft.

Nato’s top military official, Adm. Rob Bauer, told a meeting of alliance chiefs in Brussels: “Even though the cause of the accident remains unclear, it is yet another stark reminder of the senseless destruction and immense grief that this war causes.”

Poland wants allies to send up to 100 tanks to support Ukraine 

Poland expects European allies to send as many as 100 battle tanks to support Ukraine’s defence efforts against Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. 

“We have earmarked our 14 Leopard tanks and now we wait also for Leopards from Denmark, Finland and Germany, and tanks from other countries from the EU.”

Russia says has seen no ‘serious’ Ukraine peace proposals 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow has not seen any “serious” proposals from the West to end the war in Ukraine.

“We are ready to respond to any serious proposals… we don’t see any serious proposals yet,” Lavrov said on Wednesday at his annual press conference in Moscow. Russia isn’t willing to negotiate with Zelensky, he said.

The US and its allies are supplying Ukraine with increasing amounts of weapons to bolster Kyiv’s position at eventual talks, Lavrov said. 

Russia’s invasion of the neighbouring state in February has provoked the worst fighting in Europe since World War 2, with Western countries supplying billions of dollars in arms to Ukraine to help it repel the Russian aggression.

Zelensky promises air-defence reinforcement

Ukraine is considering moves to strengthen its air defence system, Zelensky said in his nightly address. 

Ukrainian officers will be trained to use a new Patriot missile defence system in 10 weeks instead of the period of at least 10 months that is usually required, Interfax-Ukraine reported late Tuesday, citing Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

Dutch Premier Mark Rutte said the Netherlands plans to send a Patriot system to Ukraine, joining the US and Germany in bolstering the Ukrainian military arsenal with crucial air defence to fight Russia’s invasion. DM