02/22/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 02:45 Heusgen: Putin says goodbye to the international rule-based order +++
The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, criticizes the suspension of the “New Start” nuclear weapons treaty by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Following the breach of international law that he committed with his attack on Ukraine, Putin continues to consistently bid farewell to the international rule-based order,” former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s foreign policy adviser told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Putin put “the law of the strong above the strength of the law”. Now it is important “that the international community takes action against it”.
+++ 01:40 60,000 refugees from Ukraine live in Berlin +++
Around a year after the start of the Russian war of aggression, around 60,000 refugees from Ukraine live in Berlin. Almost 50,000 of them now have a residence permit, says Social and Integration Senator Katja Kipping. At the moment, around 25,000 Ukrainians are registered with the job center. According to information from the economy, several thousand more found work without the help of the job center. The main problem when looking for a job is a lack of German language skills. About 90 percent of the refugees only spoke Ukrainian and/or Russian.
+++ 00:50 Selenskyj taunts Melonis coalition partner +++
During the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticized Meloni’s ally Silvio Berlusconi. His house is “not bombed with rockets every day,” Zelensky said at the press conference. “And thank God his partner from Russia didn’t drive a tank into his yard and didn’t destroy his family and friends.” In the past, Berlusconi had repeatedly boasted of his good relationship with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, and said beforehand that if he were still prime minister, he would not bother to meet Zelenskyy.
+++ 23:58 Russia: Were not informed about Nord Stream explosions +++
Russia contradicts Germany’s account that Moscow was informed of the investigation into the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Baltic Sea pipelines. “They rejected or ignored every attempt to provide us with information,” Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said at a UN Security Council meeting on the subject. Claims to the contrary are false. He refers to a letter that the Federal Republic of Germany, Sweden and Denmark addressed to the UN Security Council. It emphasizes that Russia has been informed about the joint investigations of the three countries.
+++ 23:04 Selenskyj: Ukrainian troops withstand the pressure +++
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian armed forces are withstanding the pressure of Russian advances. “The front line is unchanged,” says Zelenskyj in his evening video address. According to him, Russian troops are suffering “staggering losses” in their attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. There is no information about this from Russia.
+++ 22:12 Russia orders Bangladesh’s ambassador after the port blockade +++
Russia summons Bangladesh’s ambassador after the South Asian country barred Russian ships from its ports. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had informed the ambassador that the blockade “could adversely affect prospects for cooperation in various areas”. Dozens of Russian ships subject to Western sanctions have been barred from entering Bangladesh’s territorial waters this month.
+++ 21:53 IMF boss calls Ukrainian economy “incredibly resilient” +++
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, praises Kiev’s efforts in fighting corruption in the country. The Ukrainian authorities are “very open about the corruption problems and very determined to fight them,” Georgieva said after a visit to Kiev on Monday. She is “optimistic” that Ukraine will make progress on the issue, she added. During her visit, Georgieva met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, among others. A number of corruption scandals have come to light in Ukraine in recent months. The EU has made anti-corruption reforms a precondition for Ukraine’s further European integration. A war is a “breeding ground for corruption,” says Georgieva. There have been no attempts by the Ukrainian side to “gloss over” the problem. Nevertheless, the anti-corruption structures in Ukraine must be “further improved”. The IMF chief describes the Ukrainian people and the country’s economy as “incredibly resilient”.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.