The 53rd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will take place in Davos on Monday and will continue through January 20. | The main issues on the agenda of the forum will be energy and food crises, high global inflation, investments in emerging technologies, as well as current geopolitical risks for the world's economy. ● High-ranking officials from across the globe, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, South Korean President President Yoon Suk Yeol, Colombian leader Gustavo Petro and others, are expected to take part in the event. ● A delegation from Russia will not participate in the meeting for the second year in a row since organizers decided not to invite Russian representatives in response to Moscow's ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

■ Who pays for Davos? (World Economic Forum)

■ What is the WEF Meeting in Davos and What Should Be Expected From It This Year? | Why is WEF Hated in Some Corners? | While the WEF has been praised by some for serving as a platform where decision-makers can meet and talk through problems affecting the world, and offer hints about where elites want to take their companies, countries or even the entire planet, in other corners, particularly among the conservative and libertarian Right and the anti-liberal Left, the WEF is treated with varying degrees of disdain, annoyance and distrust. There are several reasons for this.

UK to Deliver 100s More Armored Vehicles to Ukraine Including Bulldogs, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace Says | UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that the UK would provide Ukraine with "hundreds" of armored vehicles, including Bulldog armored personnel carriers. 💬 "Hundreds more armored and protective vehicles will also be sent [to Ukraine], including Bulldog [armored personnel carriers]," he said, speaking in the House of Commons with a statement on Ukraine.

In late November, US media reported that Washington is considering expanding its training of the Ukrainian military that may include drills for up to 2,500 troops monthly at an American base in Germany. | On Sunday, the US military started the “new, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces” on German territory, an American media outlet has cited General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as saying. According to the general, the complex training, which will include “classroom instruction and field work,” is due to be combined with an array of new weapons, artillery, tanks and other vehicles heading to Ukraine from Western countries. He added that it would be “ideal” if the newly trained forces are able to use all the incoming weapons and equipment “sometime before the spring rains show up.”

■ Ukrainian forces begin expanded U.S. military training in Germany
■ US launches expanded training for Ukrainian troops in Germany