03/22/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:33 Georgian ex-president Saakashvili: the West should prepare for the disintegration of Russia +++
According to former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, a victory for Kiev is inevitable. “Ukraine’s inevitable victory will completely change the situation in Georgia and the region,” said the imprisoned Saakashvili in an interview with the AFP news agency. The West must “accept and prepare for the collapse of the Russian Federation.” Ukraine has finally become the superpower in the region and, together with Poland, determines everything in the region, including in relation to Georgia. “The situation in Georgia will change fundamentally before Ukraine finally wins,” he said, referring to the recent anti-government protests in Georgia.
+++ 23:22 Selenskyj remembers the first successes after the start of the war a year ago +++
More than a year after the start of the Russian war of aggression, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recalls the first successes of his army. On March 21, 2022, the battle for the village of Moschchun, not far from the capital Kiev, was won, Zelensky said in his evening video address. “This was our state’s first major step toward victory in this war.” The Ukrainian head of state also reminds of the subsequent recapture of the eastern region of Kharkiv and part of Cherson in the south of the country. “We will come to the same result with other offensive actions,” says Zelenskyj confidently, also with a view to the currently hard-fought Donbass.
+++ 10:11 p.m. Putin: Kiev is not “willing” to resolve the conflict based on China’s peace plan +++
Russian President Vladimir Putin doubts Kiev’s “readiness” for a solution to the Ukraine conflict on the basis of China’s peace plan. “We don’t currently see any such attitude on their side,” Putin said during a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jingping to Moscow. In a joint statement, Xi and Putin also expressed “concern” about NATO’s increasing presence in Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meanwhile visited Ukraine.
+++ 21:41 US government: China parrots Russian propaganda +++
With a view to the visit of Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping to Moscow, the US government does not expect a quick end to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “I don’t think today’s meeting gives much hope for an end to the war anytime soon,” National Security Council communications director John Kirby said at the White House on Tuesday. There are no signs that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin has changed his calculations. If China wants to play a constructive role in this conflict, then President Xi should urge Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Instead, Xi did not even visit Ukraine. “He and his regime parrot Russian propaganda,” Kirby said. There is a kind of “marriage of convenience” between Moscow and Beijing, and Putin sees China as a “potential supporter.”
+++ 21:11 Stoltenberg wants to convene a NATO-Ukraine meeting against Hungary’s will +++
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wants to convene a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at ministerial level for the first time since 2017 – apparently against Hungary’s will. Stoltenberg said in Brussels that he respected points raised by Hungary regarding the protection of minorities in Ukraine and was always trying to reach agreement. If there is no consensus, however, he ultimately has the prerogative to convene such meetings and he is now making use of this. The NATO-Ukraine Commission is a platform to demonstrate support for Ukraine, Stoltenberg said. According to the Norwegian, the first new meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at ministerial level is to be organized in April on the sidelines of a regular NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
+++ 20:36 USA inaugurate first permanent military garrison in Poland +++
The US has inaugurated its first permanent military garrison in Poland. “This is historic. And it shows that we are here to stay,” said US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski at the opening ceremony. “It shows the whole world that the US is closely aligned with Poland and NATO. We are united in the face of Russian aggression.” The garrison in western Poland, Poznań, is the eighth in Europe and will be responsible for coordinating support for US forces stationed in Poland and across NATO’s eastern flank. It will serve as the headquarters of the US Army’s Fifth Corps. “We appreciate the constant presence of US troops in our country, especially nowadays in Europe where Russia has invaded Ukraine and is trying to rebuild its empire,” said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. The garrison is “important for the security of our country, but also for the security of NATO’s eastern flank”. More than 10,000 US troops are currently stationed in Poland. It is the main transit country for international aid and equipment to neighboring Ukraine.
+++ 20:01 Swedish parliament votes on NATO membership +++
The Swedish parliament will vote tomorrow, Wednesday, on whether the country should join NATO. The parliamentarians’ approval of the government’s proposal to join the western military alliance is considered certain. However, the yes of the NATO members Turkey and Hungary is still pending. Turkey has so far blocked Sweden’s membership and is demanding tougher action from the government in Stockholm against Kurdish activists in the country, who Ankara considers “terrorists”.
+++ 19:24 Japan’s head of government expresses his indignation during a visit to Butscha +++
During a visit to the Ukrainian city of Bucha, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his outrage at the atrocities committed against civilians there. While witnessing “all the brutalities” committed there in Bucha, he feels “a strong sense of outrage,” says Kishida. “The whole world is shocked,” adds the prime minister.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.