Ukraine war in the live ticker: +++ 01:01 US company wants to deliver drones to Kyiv for one dollar +++

02/01/2023

Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:01 US company wants to deliver drones to Kyiv for one dollar +++

According to a media report, the US company General Atomics is offering Ukraine advanced drones for one dollar. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that this should enable the country to defend itself against the expected Russian offensive. However, a delivery of the Reaper MQ-9 drones would require approval from the US government. It would also add millions of dollars to Kyiv for deployment, delivery and maintenance.

+++ 00:08 Habeck against delivery of fighter jets +++
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck speaks out against the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine. On ZDF he speaks of a “balancing act” between “maximum support” for Ukraine without Germany itself becoming a party to the war. “And of course it’s not entirely clear where the line is going,” said the Green politician. It is right to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine. “But there is a difference between war tanks and fighter jets.”

+++ 23:12 Selenskyj wants to speed up when joining the EU +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to push ahead with his country’s planned EU accession. Kyiv expects “news” from an EU-Ukraine summit at the end of this week, says Zelenskyj in his evening video address. “We expect decisions from our partners in the European Union that (…) reflect our progress. Progress that is obviously there – even in spite of the widespread war.” Zelenskyj confirmed that reforms are being worked on in Kyiv. Ukraine has been a candidate for EU membership since June. Associated with this, however, are conditions, among other things, in the fight against corruption.

+++ 22:16 German-Ukrainian media project: “Katapult” boss resigns +++
After criticism of his German-Ukrainian media project, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Greifswald-based “Katapult” magazine, Benjamin Fredrich, has resigned from his management positions. “It bothers me that I failed to meet basic expectations and communicated poorly,” Fredrich wrote on his magazine’s website. He admitted not having pursued the project with the consistent perseverance he had announced. “That’s why I’m drawing the following conclusions: I’m going to hand over the operational management and the editor-in-chief of ‘Katapult’,” said Fredrich, but at the same time announced that he now wanted to concentrate on the “Katapult Ukraine” project. Immediately after the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, Fredrich initiated the project in order to strengthen reporting from and about Ukraine. He hired people from the Ukraine as editors and tried to set up his own editorial team in Odessa as well.

+++ 21:35 Schmyhal confirms EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv +++
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal confirmed an EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv on Friday. The meeting will “take place in Kyiv on February 3,” Schmyhal said at a cabinet meeting. The summit is “extremely important” for Kiev’s application for EU accession from Ukraine, which has been an official candidate for accession to the Union since 2022. “The fact that this summit will take place in Kyiv is a strong signal to both partners and enemies,” Schmyhal said. It shows Russia that its efforts to sow discord among Kiev’s western allies and prevent Ukraine from joining the EU have been in vain. However, Schmyhal did not say who would take part in the summit for the EU. The Prime Minister also announced that “for the first time in our history” consultations between the Ukrainian government and the EU Commission will take place on Thursday.

+++ 20:57 HRW accuses Ukraine of using prohibited mines +++
The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses Ukraine of using banned landmines in the fight against the Russian war of aggression. According to HRW, Kyiv must investigate the “suspected use of thousands of anti-personnel mines by its own army” in and around the city of Izyum, which was recaptured in September after the Russian occupation. The Ukrainian government blamed the Russian invasion for the “problem” with mines, and the UN called for an investigation. HRW said at least 50 civilians, including five children, were injured in the Izyum area as a result of the use of so-called butterfly mines. For its part, Russia has “repeatedly used anti-personnel mines” and “committed atrocities” throughout Ukraine, HRW weapons expert Steven Goose said. However, this does not justify the use of “banned weapons” by Ukraine.

You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.