05/24/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:23 Selenskyj wants to exchange prisoners from the Azovstal plant +++
The Ukrainian soldiers captured in the port city of Mariupol are to be exchanged according to the will of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We have to exchange them,” said Zelenskyj at a video link in the Ukrainian house in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum is currently taking place. The exchange is a political decision that depends on the support of many states. All UN members – especially those with experience in such matters – should step in.
+++ 23:36 Investors interested in the PCK refinery in Schwedt +++
Several investors are said to have expressed an interest in taking over the PCK oil refinery in Schwedt, Brandenburg. As the “Handelsblatt” reports, they have already approached the federal government. Economics Minister Robert Habeck confirmed on the fringes of the World Economic Forum in Davos that he knew “that there is interest”. However, the owner, the Russian company Rosneft, would have to agree. The Druzhba pipeline for Russian oil ends in Schwedt, and from there large parts of eastern Germany in particular are supplied with oil products. The refinery is the most important supplier of petroleum products in the Berlin-Brandenburg area.
+++ 23:07 soldiers from Colombia are training Ukrainians to clear mines +++
Colombian soldiers will train Ukrainian military to clear mines. This is announced by the Ministry of Defense of the South American country. After 60 years of civil war-like fighting between the military, left-wing revolutionaries, paramilitary militias and drug cartels, Colombia is one of the countries with the greatest density of minefields, according to the UN. According to the government in Bogota, mines have killed 2,342 people since 1990 and injured around 10,000.
+++ 22:21 Russia examines Italian peace plan to settle the Ukraine conflict +++
According to Russia, it is examining an Italian peace plan to end the conflict in Ukraine. “We recently received it and are examining it,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko. Russia will comment on this at a later date. The plan “was not discussed between Russia and Italy,” he said.
+++ 21:59 Pussy Riot call for an import stop for Russian gas and oil +++
The musicians of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot are calling for a ban on imports of Russian gas and oil. The money for the war in Ukraine comes from Europe, say the activists in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. As long as gas and oil are bought in Russia, the war cannot be stopped. Band member Maria Alyokhina describes Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal who should be brought to justice before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The band is currently on a “Pussy Riot Anti-War Tour” in Europe.
+++ 21:35 Zelenskyj: Negotiations only with Putin and only about the end of the war +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would meet with his counterpart Vladimir Putin as the only Russian representative. There would only be one topic, the end of the war, says Selenskyj via video link in front of the World Economic Forum in Davos. In view of the Russian actions against civilians in the occupied parts of Ukraine, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to organize any kind of talks.
+++ 21:28 Habeck sees an oil embargo against Russia “within reach” +++
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck sees an oil embargo against Russia, in his own words, “within reach”. There are only a few countries that are reporting problems – especially Hungary, says the Vice Chancellor in the ZDF “Heute Journal”. You can be considerate here. But then “something has to happen” in Hungary too. Habeck adds: “Well, I think within a few days we will also achieve the breakthrough.” The EU Commission has proposed to end imports of Russian crude oil in six months because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. As a compromise, the Commission proposes giving Hungary more time. The proposal does not go far enough for the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
+++ 21:07 EU wants to start joint natural gas purchases before winter +++
The EU wants to start its planned joint natural gas purchases before winter. This gave the EU countries access to supplies that would otherwise not be accessible, says EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson of the Reuters news agency. The deals are said to be done through an EU platform that went live last month.
You can read earlier developments of the Ukraine war here.