According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Moscow will not succeed in its war of aggression in Ukraine. In two months, the Russian armed forces used more than 1,100 rockets against Ukraine, countless aerial bombs and artillery. Some Ukrainian cities and communities were totally destroyed, says Zelenskyy in his nightly video. “But they didn’t get anything. And they won’t get anything.” In the east of the country, Russian units did not see “a crumb” of support they had so much relied on.
+++ 02:34 SPD politician Roth: Union arms order “worn out” +++
SPD politician Michael Roth harshly criticizes the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s call for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. “I tend to find this attempt by the CDU and CSU to split the coalition on such a sensitive issue,” said the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag of the German Press Agency. The Bundestag must be used to guide the population in these difficult times.
+++ 01:38 Lavrov: NATO weapons deliveries mean proxy war +++
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, NATO is waging a proxy war with Russia, supplying Ukraine with weapons from the West. “Field facilities in western Ukraine were attacked (by Russian forces) more than once. How could it be otherwise?” Lavrov said in an interview with state television, according to a transcript posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. exterior. “NATO is basically waging war with Russia through a proxy and arming that proxy.”
+++ 01:17 Rheinmetall wants to deliver Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine +++
Düsseldorf-based armaments group Rheinmetall has offered Ukraine the delivery of 88 used Leopard main battle tanks. This follows from documents available to the German Press Agency. Accordingly, the offer also includes crew training in Germany, training for repairs, tools, spare parts, service base and ammunition.
+++ 01:10 Great Britain exempts customs duties for goods from Ukraine +++
Britain waives tariffs on products originating in Ukraine as part of a free trade agreement. The British government announced that tariffs would be temporarily set at zero percent and all import quotas would be abolished. The measure was taken at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The measure should support the economy in Ukraine. Current tariffs on Ukrainian products in the UK are around 22%.
+++ 00:53 Greenpeace: Price consequences of a manageable oil embargo +++
At the European level, an oil embargo against Russia is still controversial, but the environmental organization Greenpeace believes such a measure can be implemented. “German oil supplies are still guaranteed, even with a full embargo on Russian oil,” the organization writes. The price consequences in Germany “would remain manageable with skillful preparation and implementation”. The document was prepared by the consultancy EnergyComment on behalf of Greenpeace.
+++ 00:34 Melnyk regrets canceling Steinmeier’s press ball +++
Ukrainian Ambassador Andrij Melnyk regrets Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s decision not to attend the Federal Press Ball this year. “I can imagine that many Ukrainian journalists, the board of the federal press conference and, of course, several guests would be very happy if the German head of state had supported this historic charity party and its noble political and personal goals with his participation,” he said. him to the German press agency.
+++ 00:07 Union: 500,000 additional apartments needed for refugees +++
Due to the influx of war refugees from Ukraine, the Union faction in the Bundestag considers a significant expansion of housing construction targets necessary. “The traffic light’s target of building 1.6 million apartments in this legislative period has been surpassed by the large number of refugees from Ukraine,” his construction policy spokesman Jan-Marco Luczak told the Germany editorial network. According to experts, at least 500,000 additional apartments are needed. The head of the Central Real Estate Committee association had given the figure for the maximum case when 1.29 million people from Ukraine needed living space in Germany.
+++ 23:13 Lavrov sees the real danger of a third world war +++
In the context of heightened tensions with the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warns of the “real” danger of a third world war. “The danger is serious, it is real, it must not be underestimated,” Lavrov said, according to the Interfax news agency. Referring to Ukraine, Lavrov said he was confident that “an agreement would be signed” at the end of the conflict.
+++ 22:27 Russia accuses Ukraine of bombing a village near the border +++
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said Ukraine had bombed a village on Russian territory. Two people were injured and several houses were damaged, writes Vyacheslav Gladkov on the Telegram message service. The attack hit the village of Zhuravlyovka. Russia has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out attacks on Russian territory, including two villages in the Belgorod region and a village in the Bryansk region in mid-April.
+++ 22:03 Moldova conflict region Transnistria reports explosions +++
According to local authorities, the Ministry of State Security was targeted in the conflict region of Transnistria, which borders Ukraine. Thus, the building in the capital of Transnistria, Tiraspol, was damaged by explosions. Photos, the authenticity of which could not be verified, show broken windows and a broken entrance. Authorities say the building was shot at with anti-tank ammunition. No one was injured due to a day off.
Russia has sent troops to the breakaway region of Moldova. Moldovan authorities announced in the capital Chisinau that it was unclear who fired. However, it is obviously a provocation aimed at destabilizing the situation in the conflict region. Neighboring Ukraine, which faces a war of Russian aggression, blames Moscow for the bombing.
Kaja Kallas at the FDP-affiliated Naumann Foundation
(Photo: alliance/dpa photo)
+++ 21:48 Estonia’s prime minister has question marks with Germany +++
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is calling on the larger NATO countries, and especially Germany, to provide more military aid to Ukraine. “We are a country of only 1.3 million people. We are 65 times smaller than Germany. And we provide six times more military aid than Germany,” said the prime minister at an event organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Berlin. “There’s a question mark for me if Germany really doesn’t have it anymore.”
According to the government, Estonia, which borders Russia, has so far provided military aid worth more than 200 million euros to Ukraine. Kallas says Estonia gave Ukraine more or less everything it could. Therefore, it is “very difficult” for her to believe that larger countries have nothing left to give.
+++ 21:28 SPD Vice Heil “don’t understand” Schröder +++
SPD Vice President and Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil is distancing himself from former Chancellor Schröder. In the “RTL Direkt” program, Heil says that what Schröder says is not relevant to the SPD and the federal government. “I find it very sad, the whole process, I don’t understand his behavior.” He couldn’t explain Schröder’s behavior. Schröder had served the country as chancellor and was now jeopardizing his reputation, Heil continued: “I would just shout at him: turn around!”
+++ 20:53 Sweden and Finland want to announce NATO plans soon +++
Sweden and Finland have agreed to jointly announce their intention to join NATO next month. This is reported by newspapers in both countries, as reported by the Swedish online magazine “The Local”. Accordingly, Sweden has asked the Finnish government to delay its announcement so that the two countries can announce their intention at the same time. This is due to take place in the week of May 16-22, when Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö is due to pay a state visit to Stockholm. Both Sweden and Finland are members of the EU, but not yet part of NATO.
You can read about past developments here.