UN aid convoy reaches embattled Ukrainian town of Soledar

For the first time since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, a United Nations humanitarian convoy has arrived in the northern Donetsk region with aid for affected civilians.
The convoy arrived near the embattled Ukrainian town of Soledar, according to UN reports.
Food, drinking water, medicines and other supplies were unloaded in the Ukrainian-controlled region on Friday, the UN's emergency relief office OCHA reported in Geneva.
The supplies should help some 800 people.
"Much has been destroyed by the recent fighting in and around Soledar. People on the ground are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance," an OCHA spokesperson said.
The convoy had set off from the city of Dnipro. Several UN agencies contributed to the load.
Whether additional supplies can be delivered directly to Soledar residents in the near future depends on the security situation for the convoys, the group said.
Meanwhile, Germany's army is set to move the first two of three Patriot anti-aircraft missile squadrons from Germany to Poland on Monday.
Their aim is to contribute to the protection of Polish airspace and to strengthen the military alliance NATO's eastern flank, the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, announced on Friday.
The deployment will begin in the small German town of Gnoien, north of Berlin.
The air defence systems are to move into operational positions near the city of Zamość in south-eastern Poland, around 60 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
Since January 16, Bundeswehr soldiers have been stationed in Poland to ensure that the weapon systems are received together with the Polish alliance partners.
After a missile strike on Polish territory in November, the then defence minister Christine Lambrecht and her Polish counterpart Mariusz Błaszczak had agreed that German Patriot missile defence systems would be moved to Poland.
Błaszczak caused considerable disgruntlement in Berlin in the meantime because he suggested that the Patriots would be better stationed in Ukraine.
In the meantime, it has become clear that three fire units will come to Poland after all. Germany will also transfer a Patriot air defence system to Ukraine to support the country in its defensive struggle against Russia.
Most of the focus on Friday was on discussions by the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at the US air base in Ramstein in western Germany, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was disappointed that Germany did not make a decision on whether to send Leopard 2 tanks to his country.
He heard a lot of understanding for the needs of Ukraine during the talks, Zelensky said in his evening video message broadcast in Kiev. "Yes, we will still have to fight for the delivery of modern tanks, but with every day we make it even more obvious that there is no alternative to the decision for tanks," he said.
Zelensky expressed optimism that he will receive the heavier tanks from Germany. Missiles with longer ranges are also necessary to liberate Ukrainian territories, he said.
Not everything that was discussed in Ramstein was intended for the public, Zelensky said, but the bottom line was a strengthening of Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression. "The partners stand firm on their position that they will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary for our victory."
Already, he said, it has been possible to strengthen the striking power of the artillery. Armoured vehicles and several hundred combat vehicles have also been added to the country's arsenal. Ukraine has achieved successes with multiple rocket launchers and air defence.
In particular, Zelensky highlighted one of the "biggest defence packages" from the US, which had understood that "freedom" must not lose. Many EU states had also extended their support, he said.
"Any agreement must be implemented as soon as possible - for our defence," Zelensky stressed.
Zelensky also informed about a new phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has repeatedly brought himself into play as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia for possible peace negotiations. Zelensky thanked Erdoğan for supporting Ukraine's security vision. He did not give details.