European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrives in Ukraine (AFP) today to voice support for the country amid soaring tensions with Russia. During his visit, he will meet with officials in Kyiv and visit the “contact line” in eastern Ukraine where Ukrainian forces face off against Russia-backed separatists.

Borrell has insisted (Reuters) that the EU be part of discussions about European security as Russia prepares to negotiate with Western powers. Russian officials will meet with U.S. delegates starting on Sunday, followed by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials on January 12. Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed tensions with Russia (State Dept.) on a call with officials from nine Eastern European NATO countries.

A month before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, thousands of staff and volunteers have been physically separated (AFP) from the local population.
 
China: Shares of embattled property developer Evergrande Group paused and then resumed trading (WaPo) yesterday amid an investigation into the legality of the company’s planning permits.
 
For the Geo-Graphics blog, CFR’s Benn Steil and Benjamin Della Rocca look at where Evergrande sits in China’s merry-go-round of debt.

The government said the money will be taken from the 2022 budget (Bloomberg) and allotted toward public-sector salaries, pensions, cash for the poor, and the removal of taxes for food and medicine.

India: Pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories said it will price (Reuters) a generic version of Merck’s COVID-19 pill at 47 cents per capsule, with a five-day treatment plan costing about $19. The treatment costs $700 in the United States.

Oil executive and former diplomat Haitham al-Ghais will take over the post (Bloomberg) from Nigeria’s Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo in August. Officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied oil-producing countries, collectively known as OPEC+, meet today.
 
Saudi Arabia/Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will visit Saudi Arabia (WSJ) in February. It will be his first visit to the country since the 2018 killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
 
For Foreign Affairs, Soner Cagaptay discusses Erdogan’s end game.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit (SCMP) the Comoros, Eritrea, and Kenya. Eritrea joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in November.
 
In this podcast for the Asia Unbound blog, CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick interviews Mandira Bagwandeen about BRI in sub-Saharan Africa.
 
South Africa: A man accused of starting a fire at Parliament on Sunday appeared in court (News24). His hearing was then postponed until the damages can be assessed.

The German government called nuclear power dangerous and objected to plans for the EU to allow it to be classified as sustainable. Germany is on track (AP) to shut down its three remaining nuclear power plants by the end of this year.

An Ontario court ruled that the families of six people who died when Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down over Iran in 2020 are entitled to (CBC) more than $80 million in damages. Their lawyer said he will attempt to seize Iranian assets.
 
Haiti: Prime Minister Ariel Henry fled gunfire (AP) directed at him on Saturday, his office said.

The companies complied with a Department of Transportation request (WSJ) to delay the rollout for two weeks due to concerns that the new signals could interfere with cockpit safety systems.

The United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom issued a rare joint statement (Guardian), saying a nuclear war “cannot be won and must never be fought.” The statement was crafted as part of a regular review of the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.