The day of the war at a glance
Ukrainian troops under pressure in the east – Scholz and Macron for the country’s EU accession
06/16/2022, 10:12 p.m
The air raid alarm went off twice during the Chancellor’s long-awaited visit to Kyiv. Scholz made an important promise during the trip with the heads of state and government of France, Italy and Romania. Meanwhile, Ukraine is reporting heavy Russian attacks in Luhansk and Donetsk, and Zelenskyy is calling for a seventh package of sanctions against Moscow. The 113th day of the war at a glance.
Scholz wants Ukraine to become a candidate for EU membership
Ukraine gets strong support on the way to the European Union. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron campaigned for the first time for the war-torn country to become a candidate for EU membership. Together with Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, they also promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy further military support for the fight against Russia. “My colleagues and I came to Kyiv today with a clear message: Ukraine is part of the European family.” He added on the prospect of EU membership: “Germany is in favor of a positive decision in favor of Ukraine. This also applies to the Republic of Moldova.” The Chancellor did not make any concrete promises for further arms deliveries to Ukraine.
“Until victory”: Macron promises Kyiv additional self-propelled howitzers
Macron takes a different view and is specific about military support in Kyiv. France plans to deliver six more Caesar howitzers to Ukraine starting next week. Paris had already sent twelve of these heavy artillery pieces. Macron said that France had always responded promptly to requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for weapons to defend his country. The truck-mounted 155mm caliber Caesar guns can accurately hit targets up to 40km away.
US President Biden promises further large arms deliveries
Kyiv has also received a significant commitment to its own defense from the US government. This wants to support the country with a weapons supply in the amount of one billion dollars. President Biden announced the decision in Washington after a phone call with Zelenskyy. In addition, the United States provided $225 million (around €217 million) in humanitarian assistance. Since Russia’s war of aggression began, the US says it has pledged or delivered $4.6 billion worth of weapons and equipment. With the new commitment, the total increases to $5.6 billion.
Heavy fighting in the Donbass – Ukrainians are fighting for Sievjerodonetsk
In eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian troops continued to fight heavily in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In the direction of the city of Bakhmut, there are Russian attacks “to improve the tactical situation,” the Ukrainian general staff said. The information cannot be independently verified. The towns of Wessele, Soledar, Berestowe and Vowchojarivka were under artillery fire. There is also heavy fighting in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk. In the neighboring Luhansk region, the city of Sievjerodonetsk was particularly hotly contested. In the Kharkiv region, Russian troops used artillery fire to prevent Ukrainians from advancing closer to the border between the two countries, the General Staff report said.
Chancellor: No one will pressure Ukraine into an agreement with Moscow
Chancellor Scholz has rejected suspicions that Western states could press the Ukrainian leadership to conclude a peace agreement with Russia. The Western sanctions against Russia would not be lifted until a fair agreement was reached between Russia and Ukraine, says Scholz on ARD. Only Ukraine itself can decide what is fair from its point of view. “No one in Europe will be able or willing to dictate that to them,” adds Scholz. The US government made a similar statement. “We will support them and consult with them as they consider how to approach a deal with the Russians,” said US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. “We believe this matter needs to be resolved through diplomatic channels.” However, it is not the task of the USA to set conditions or goals for negotiations.
Two air raid alerts in Kyiv during EU visit
When Scholz visited Kyiv, an air alarm was triggered immediately after his arrival and shortly before the joint press conference. While the sirens were howling, Scholz, Macron, Draghi and Iohannis were in the presidential palace. Air alert was also triggered in other parts of the country. “The air raid sirens show that Russia doesn’t choose who and when to attack,” Zelenskyy commented.
Zelenskyj calls for seventh package of sanctions against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has handed Germany, France, Italy and Romania a list of new sanctions against Russia. According to the Ukrainian Presidential Office, the topic was the subject of Zelensky’s meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romania’s President Klaus Johannis. “We have to increase the pressure on the aggressor, work on a seventh package of sanctions with a gas embargo,” explains Zelenskyy’s adviser Andriy Yermak on Telegram.
Kremlin: Further arms build-up in Ukraine “pointless”
The meeting between the Federal Chancellor and the Ukrainian President is also being followed with great interest by Moscow. Moscow hopes that the representatives of the EU states will “get the Ukrainian president to look at the situation as it really is,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The visit should not only be about further arming Ukraine. “This is absolutely pointless, it causes people to suffer and will simply cause further damage to this country,” emphasized Peskow. Russia’s ex-president Dmitry Medvedev generally questioned the purpose of Scholz’s trip. He described the visit as the visit of “European fans of frogs, liverwurst and spaghetti”.
Lambrecht assures Ukraine that arms will be delivered soon
According to Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, the heavy artillery pieces destined for Ukraine from Germany can soon be brought there. “The training is almost complete. And now the Ukrainian soldiers who were trained can then be transferred to Ukraine with the tank howitzers,” said the SPD politician on ZDF. According to her, the promised delivery of decommissioned “Gepard” anti-aircraft tanks is also imminent. Lambrecht also campaigned with the NATO allies for the German push to set up a multinational combat troops brigade for the eastern flank in Lithuania.
Russian Ambassador: Nord Stream 1 could fail completely
After the reduction in Russian gas deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline, a complete shutdown of the most important supply line for Germany cannot be ruled out. Russia’s ambassador to the EU said at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg that the line could be shut down completely because of the problems with repairing turbines in Canada. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck called the situation serious, but it does not endanger the security of supply in Germany. Contrary to Gazprom’s statement that the reason for the cutback was delays in repair work, Habeck suspects a political decision behind it. For Gazprom boss Alexei Miller, the solution to the problem is obvious. Only the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has been put on hold because of the Ukraine conflict, has to be put into operation.
Russian car sales fall by more than 80 percent – Putin promises support
Russian President Vladimir Putin is instructing the government to work out new ways to support the domestic auto industry. Despite the economic difficulties in the country, demand should be boosted, said Putin during a meeting with government officials that was broadcast on state television. According to data from the Association of European Businesses (AEB), car sales in Russia fell by 83.5 percent in May.
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