October 4, 2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:22 EU Council President Michel wants Ukraine to join the EU by 2030 +++
EU Council President Charles Michel supports Ukraine’s accession by 2030 – under conditions. “Ukraine can belong to the EU in 2030 if both sides do their homework,” says Michel in an interview with “Spiegel”. Among other things, Michel is demanding that the EU speed up the “decision-making processes”. By quickly admitting Ukraine, the EU would also “prove that it is capable of geopolitical action.” At the same time, the Belgian emphasized that there will be no political discount for Ukraine or for the EU accession candidates – in addition to Turkey, these are the six Western Balkan states and the Republic of Moldova. “Ukraine and the other candidate countries must implement reforms, fight corruption and meet the legal requirements,” says Michel. Nevertheless, the EU must now “not waste any more time,” as the influence of Russia and China is becoming ever greater in the Western Balkans, for example.
+++ 00:01 Zelenskyj: Kharkiv should become a base for defense in the east +++
After a visit to the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy calls for the region to be strengthened against Russian attacks. “It is extremely important that Kharkiv not only perseveres despite everything, but helps keep our entire East strong,” he says in his daily video address. At various meetings, among other things, demining and protecting energy facilities from Russian fire were discussed. “There are many questions that are important for the region. Especially before winter. Especially with a view to the ongoing Russian terror against Kharkiv and the region as well as the occupiers’ intentions to intensify the assault on our positions,” says Zelensky. Some things need to be “significantly accelerated” on the Ukrainian side, he demands.
+++ 23:15 Donetsk: Injured after shelling of towns +++
According to Ukrainian information, four people were injured in Russian attacks in Donzek Oblast. The Russian troops shelled the small town of Avdiivka and hit a residential building. A 63-year-old was injured as a result, writes the public prosecutor. Three other civilians who were outdoors were injured in the town of Illinivka. The Russian army is said to have used guided bombs there.
+++ 22:25 Finland announces new aid package +++
Ukraine is receiving further support from Finland: whose Foreign Ministry Elina Valtonen explains that “our next defense material package is in preparation.” Finland and the EU would support Ukraine for as long as necessary. Finland has contributed almost two billion euros to this so far.
+++ 21:52 Moscow reports averted rocket attack on Crimea +++
The Russian military says it has repelled a rocket attack on Crimea. A Ukrainian anti-ship missile of the type “Neptune” off the coast of the peninsula was discovered and destroyed by anti-aircraft defense, the Defense Ministry said. Meanwhile, in the port city of Sevastopol, damage to a residential building caused by falling debris from a drone is reported. Sevastopol serves as a base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet and has been attacked several times by the Ukrainian military in recent weeks.
+++ 21:26 German ambassador: “Violence will not have the last word” +++
On German Unity Day, the German ambassador to Russia emphasized Moscow’s role in reunification, while at the same time criticizing Russia’s current policies. “Without our partners in the USA, France and Great Britain, but also in the Soviet Union at the time, the German national holiday would not exist at all,” said Lambsdorff during his speech at the embassy. The fall of the Berlin Wall was also a consequence of the “strong desire for freedom of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe,” the ambassador recalls. Ukraine is now also striving for this “freedom, peace, security and national sovereignty”. Russia, on the other hand, is bringing violence into its neighboring country with its war. The violence is also directed internally, against critics and dissenters in their own country. Lambsdorff is optimistic that the diplomatic work will lead to a change in Russia’s politics in the long term. “Violence will not have the last word.”
Lambsdorff has been ambassador to Russia since August.
(Photo: picture alliance/dpa)
+++ 21:05 US aid for Ukraine will last for “a few months” +++
According to the White House, the United States can continue to provide military aid to Ukraine for “several months” without additional funding from Congress. But this depends on the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces and on developments in the fighting against Russia, says US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. At the weekend, Congress passed an interim budget without any new aid to Ukraine. Right-wing hardliners among the opposition Republicans had blocked further aid to Ukraine. Biden now wants to pass Ukraine aid through another law.
+++ 20:26 Fighters of the “Storm-Z” troops “are just meat” +++
According to one report, there are punitive units within the Russian army called “Storm-Z.” They consist of around 100 to 150 men, writes the Reuters news agency, citing 13 people, including Storm-Z fighters and their relatives. Drunk or disobedient soldiers and criminals recruited from prisons were sent to these troops, who often had to fight on the most dangerous sectors of the front, the report said. “They are just meat,” one of the soldiers who reportedly fought near Bakhmut in May and June says of these stormtroopers. Another fighter who was recruited from prison also reported heavy losses in his unit at Bakhmut: of the 120 men, only 15 survived.
+++ 19:49 Dnipro: Rocket debris hits kindergarten +++
The city of Dnipro came under renewed Russian fire last night, regional authorities report. The debris from an intercepted missile damaged three homes, a school, a kindergarten, a gas station and dozens of cars. In addition, a warehouse burned down, explains the military administration. No injuries are reported.
+++ 19:18 Biden assures partners: USA stands for further help to Ukraine +++
US President Biden assures the heads of state and government of the most important allies in a conversation that the US will continue aid to Ukraine despite the US budget dispute. The heads of state and government of Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Poland and Romania as well as the NATO Secretary General and the heads of the EU took part in the conversation. Biden apparently called the conversation to dispel doubts about the future course of the USA. In the USA, an agreement on a new budget was only possible after cutting aid to Ukraine. There is resistance to further military aid for Kiev, especially among Republicans.
+++ 18:50 First details about the Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania announced +++
Further details on the planned stationing of a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania will be announced soon. “Next week I will meet with German representatives and next week the details will begin to be published,” said Defense Minister Anusauskas, according to the BNS agency. However, it will still take months until all the details are clarified. Germany wants to permanently station around 4,000 soldiers in Lithuania as a combat-ready and independently acting unit. The deployment is intended to take into account the NATO partner’s need for increased deterrence. The plans are also a response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
+++ 18:33 Biden calls allies about aid to Ukraine +++
US President Biden is on the phone with Western allies to coordinate further support for Ukraine. Among those taking part in the telephone conference are Chancellor Scholz, EU Commission President Von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. The EU has proposed new financial aid amounting to 50 billion euros for reforms and investments, says Von der Leyen. The aim is to deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine by March 2024. The US Congress recently passed an interim budget without aid to Ukraine. Biden nevertheless promised further support for Ukraine.
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