May 3, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 02:29 “As long as necessary”: London agrees to give Kiev three billion pounds a year +++
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has promised Ukraine three billion pounds in annual military aid. “We will provide three billion pounds every year for as long as it is needed. We have really exhausted all we can give in terms of equipment,” he said during a visit to Kiev. The aid package is the UK’s largest to date. Ukraine has the right to use the weapons provided by London to attack targets in Russia and it is up to Kiev to do so. “Ukraine has that right. With Russia striking inside Ukraine, you can certainly understand why Ukraine feels the need to defend itself,” Cameron added.
+++ 01:28 Hofreiter: Agent law destroys Georgia’s chance of joining the EU +++
If the Georgian parliament passes the controversial law on stricter control of non-governmental organizations, the former Soviet republic has no chance of joining the EU, according to Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter. “With the so-called agent law, Georgia cannot become part of the EU,” says the chairman of the European Committee in the Bundestag to the Editorial Network Germany (RND). “The planned law to restrict the rights of homosexuals is also against EU law. In Georgia, democracy is at stake.”
+++ 00:12 Zelenskyj urges accelerated delivery of US weapons +++
Given the difficult situation on the front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for the recently promised US weapons to be delivered quickly. “I am grateful to the US Congress for its decision, but there should be no problem with the speed of delivery and the implementation of decisions,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video speech. “We are waiting for the weapons for our fighters to arrive in Ukraine.” The head of state added that he had therefore instructed several government representatives to work together with international partners to speed up arms deliveries.
+++ 23:09 NATO condemns “malicious activities” by Russia +++
After several incidents became known, NATO condemns “malicious activities” by Russia in its member states. The Western military alliance said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” about Moscow’s “hybrid attacks,” which “pose a threat to the security of allies.” The Russian activities therefore include disinformation campaigns, acts of sabotage and violence as well as cyber attacks. The incidents are “part of an intensifying campaign of activities” by Russia, the statement added. There have recently been investigations into “hostile state activities” in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Great Britain. In some cases, charges were also brought.
+++ 21:59 Gazprom suffers billions in loss +++
The Russian state-owned company Gazprom reports a financial loss of 629 billion rubles (almost 6.3 billion euros) for 2023, compared to a net profit of 1.226 trillion RUB (12 billion euros) in 2022. This comes from Gazprom’s report on the international Accounting Standards (IFRS). Gazprom is expected to post a revenue loss of over RUB 47 billion (€570 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared to a profit of RUB 125.4 billion (€1.2 billion) a year earlier. In addition, Gazprom’s revenue fell by 27% last year to RUB 8.54 trillion compared to RUB 11.7 trillion in 2022. The energy company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to RUB 618.369 billion, compared RUB 2.798 trillion last year.
You can read all previous developments here.