March 30, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 05:35 Zelenskyj: Ukraine retreating without US help +++
Another blockade of US military aid in Congress will lead to a gradual withdrawal of Ukrainian forces, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “If there is no US support, that means we have no anti-aircraft defense, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jammers, no 155-millimeter artillery shells,” Zelensky told the Washington Post. “That means we are retreating, retreating, step by step, in small steps,” he said. “We’re trying to find a way not to retreat.”
+++ 04:35 Taurus manufacturer: Federal government too slow with orders +++
The arms company and Taurus manufacturer MBDA is pushing for faster federal decisions on orders to the industry. “We can do much better and faster here in Germany,” said the head of the German subsidiary, Thomas Gottschild, to the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. Despite improvements, there is still a lot of potential to procure defense equipment more quickly. The joint venture between Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo is, among other things, a producer of the Taurus cruise missile and Patriot anti-aircraft missiles.
+++ 03:35 Lithuania protests against Lukashenko aggression +++
Lithuania is protesting over statements by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko about possible military operations against the neighboring country. The Foreign Ministry of the Baltic EU and NATO country in Vilnius said in a diplomatic note that the “strong protest” was expressed against statements made during a visit to a military exercise earlier this week. The authoritarian neighboring country was also asked to make an official statement as quickly as possible. In Belarus, a video of Lukashenko visiting troops was published on a pro-government Telegram channel on Tuesday. It showed the long-term ruler having a military representative explain the objectives of an exercise and talking about how the Belarusian army was prepared to attack parts of Poland or Lithuania if necessary. A narrow land corridor runs between the two EU and NATO states, which border the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia’s close ally Belarus – the so-called Suwalki Corridor.
+++ 02:22 “As Putin’s friend”: Lauterbach encourages Schröder to leave the SPD +++
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has suggested that former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder leave the SPD because of his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the evening, Lauterbach wrote on Platform “Today we unfortunately have to be ashamed of him. This no longer has anything to do with the SPD. As a ‘friend’ of Putin, he should simply resign from us,” writes Lauterbach.
+++ 01:11 Ukraine continues to rely on Taurus deliveries +++
Ukraine continues to rely on a delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles, which is rejected by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We see different internal discussions in Germany, including about Taurus for Ukraine. This is a normal discussion, and I think it needs to be continued,” said Ukrainian presidential advisor Mychajlo Podoljak to “Bild” according to a preliminary report. It’s about long-range weapons from different countries: “Some countries have already decided to deliver them to us. And the discussion is ongoing with some countries.”
+++ 00:07 Too scared: Gauck hopes for a change of direction at Taurus +++
Former Federal President Joachim Gauck, unlike Chancellor Olaf Scholz, does not fear German involvement in the war if Taurus cruise missiles are delivered to Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia, and warns against being too anxious. “I don’t see Taurus taking part in the war. Relevant international law experts and military experts don’t either,” Gauck told the editorial network Germany (RND). But the SPD politician has the authority to make directives. “I hope that he will change his mind, as he did before the delivery of the tanks, although he is currently ruling it out.”
+++ 23:15 Habeck: Need to invest more in defense +++
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has no hope for a quick and peaceful end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. “We long for peace. Yes. But the honest, bitter answer is: There probably won’t be a quick, good end, even if we wish otherwise,” says the Green politician in a video on the X platform of Russian aggression, he emphasizes: “We have to prepare for the threat situation. Anything else would be naive.” That’s why Germany is well advised to invest more in its own security. “We, Germany, the European Union, we have to protect ourselves in every way, including against military attacks.”
+++ 22:14 Zelenskyj urges more help with anti-aircraft defense +++
In his evening video speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again insisted on more international help with air defense. “The enemy’s main target in this rocket terror is our energy sector,” says Zelensky, referring to the attacks in recent days, which have increasingly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities. According to the electricity network operator Ukrenerho, scheduled power cuts are currently necessary in the eastern Kharkiv region. The power supply is also at risk in Odessa and the Khmelnytskyi region.
+++ 21:36 Moscow: Attack in the south of Russia prevented +++
The Russian secret service says it prevented an attack in the south of the country. The domestic intelligence service FSB said three suspected perpetrators from a “Central Asian country” were arrested. The suspects wanted to detonate an explosive device in a public place in the Stavropol region. The FSB “put an end to the terrorist activities of three citizens of a Central Asian country,” said the intelligence agency’s statement carried by Russian news agencies. This comes exactly a week after an attack on a concert hall near Moscow was carried out. More than 140 people were killed.
You can read all previous developments here.