1:40 p.m
Leopard tank: Poland is hoping for a “quick response” from Germany, Berlin will decide “very soon”.
Poland hopes for “a quick reaction” from Germany to be able to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine, said the Polish Prime Minister.
“I hope that this time this response from the Germans will come quickly because the Germans are hesitating, hesitating and acting in a way that is difficult to understand,” Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters.
For its part, the German Defense Ministry said Berlin would make a decision “very soon,” reports CNN.
13:22
Ukraine hopes to get around 100 Leopard tanks once Germany agrees
Twelve countries have agreed to supply Ukraine with about 100 Leopard 2 tanks if the German government agrees, a senior Ukrainian official told ABC News.
According to the same source, those agreements were struck during Friday’s summit at the US Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, where allied nations discussed military support for Ukraine.
Germany, as the country where these armaments are manufactured, must approve the export license if the countries want to deliver some of their tanks to a third country such as Ukraine.
13:09
The fugitive ex-wagner group mercenary is questioned by the Norwegian police
Norwegian police have begun questioning a former commander of Russian paramilitary group Wagner, who recently fled to Norway, about his stay in Ukraine, police said on Tuesday. However, she said she would not give any details at this time.
Andrei Medvedev fled to Norway about ten days ago and was arrested by immigration police on Monday for “disagreement” over measures to ensure his security.
He said he feared for his life after witnessing the murder and ill-treatment of Russian prisoners who were taken to the front lines in Ukraine to fight alongside Wagner.
12:48 p.m
Wave of layoffs amid corruption among Ukrainian officials
Five regional governors and four deputy ministers have been removed from their posts in Ukraine, the government said Tuesday following an alleged corruption scandal in the army amid Russia’s invasion of the country.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed this issue on Sunday evening and announced at the time that he wanted to “send a signal to all those whose actions or behavior violate the principle of justice”.
According to Taras Melnytchouk, government representative in parliament, the governors of the regions of Dnipropetrovsk (centre), Zaporijia (south), Sumy (north), Kherson (south) and the capital Kyiv will resign. The deputy defense minister, the deputy minister for social policy and two deputy ministers for territorial development have already been dismissed.
12:40 p.m
The deputy speaker of the Russian Duma takes aim at France and the European Union
Piotr Tolstoy, one of the vice presidents of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, was a guest on BFMTV on Tuesday evening and spoke vehemently about the position of France and the European Union in the Ukraine conflict.
“Of course France is an enemy for us,” he said in particular.
He believes that “France has been waging an economic war against my country for eight years, and France is supplying Ukrainians with military material”.
“The struggles that are taking place prove that European solidarity leads to deaths. Thanks to your help, the war has already lasted a year,” Pyotr Tolstoy also hammered into our antenna.
>> Our full articles on Franco-Russian relations and the role of European allies in the Ukraine conflict.
12:21
Belarus claims to have received a proposal for a non-aggression pact from Ukraine
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Vladimir Putin, said at a meeting on Tuesday that Kyiv presented him with a proposal for a non-aggression pact, according to the official Belarusian news agency.
The possibility of Belarus, Russia’s only ally in Europe, being involved in the invasion of Ukraine worries the latter and the international community.
Alexander Lukashenko believes that this alleged request contradicts the attacked nation’s attempts to strengthen its armor – especially in German Leopard 2 tanks – thanks to the support of its partners. “I don’t know why the Ukrainians are doing this,” the Belarusian president wondered.
11:54
The Kremlin judges that deliveries of German tanks to Ukraine bode “no good”.
Deliveries of German-made Leopoard tanks to Kyiv would “do not bode well,” the Kremlin warned on Tuesday, as pressure mounts on Berlin to authorize the shipment of those tanks to Ukraine.
“Such deliveries will not do Russian-German relations any good,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
He also judged that such a decision “would leave an indelible mark”.
11:53
Poland asked Germany for permission to ship leopards to Ukraine
The Polish defense minister said on Tuesday that he had asked Germany for permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
“Germany has already received our request to accept the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine,” Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter.
He also appealed to Berlin to “join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks.”
11:50
Germany encourages allies to train Ukrainians to use Leopard tanks
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday that countries allied with Ukraine with Leopard heavy tanks can start training Ukrainian troops in their use, although Germany has not yet given its approval for the delivery in Kyiv.
“I strongly encouraged partner countries that have operational Leopard tanks to train Ukrainian armed forces on these tanks,” the minister said.
He attended a press conference in Berlin this Monday with NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg.
>> You can read our full article here.
11:45
Hello everyone!
Hello and welcome to this live dedicated to the situation in Ukraine. The conflict began 334 days ago, this Tuesday, November 24th.