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Kyiv and its allies on 20 January 2022
Summary
A look back at the political developments reported on 20 January 2022 and the days just before it, from Kyiv to Vilnius.
What was happening in Ukrainian politics on 20 January 2022? Domestic business continued in Kyiv alongside a tense diplomatic backdrop over Russia.
On 20 January 2022, the Verkhovna Rada's committee on financial and tax policy backed a bill on an economic passport for Ukrainians, an idea that had been announced in December 2021.
Diplomacy in Kyiv
The day before, on 19 January 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv in a show of support for Ukraine. During a one-day visit, he was due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had said a day earlier that Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine and that no option was off the table.
Also on 19 January 2022, US President Joe Biden said a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine would bring a more severe penalty than a "minor incursion". He predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would move in on Ukraine, saying he had to do something.
Concern in the region
On the same day, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas warned that the presence of Russian troops in Belarus posed a "direct threat" to Lithuania. The warning was reported as part of the wider 2021–2022 crisis in Russia–NATO relations.
Government housekeeping
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers also acted on 19 January 2022, approving the creation of a State Service for Children's Affairs. The body was to shape and carry out policy on adoption and the protection of children's rights.
Taken together, the reports from those two days show ordinary legislative and administrative work in Kyiv continuing as Western and regional leaders spoke openly about the risk of a Russian attack.
