Ukraine war in the live ticker: +++ 06:50 Finnish Foreign Minister: Russia’s “nuclear threats” reason for NATO membership efforts +++

04.12.2022

Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:50 Finnish Foreign Minister: Russia’s “nuclear threats” reason for NATO membership efforts +++

The main reason for Finland’s bid to join NATO was alleged nuclear threats from Russia after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said in an interview with the Kyodo news agency. With the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, “the real security situation in Europe has changed,” he says. Against this background, Haavisto said, Finland had to think about “how to respond” and “where to get support” should a nuclear and chemical weapons threat arise, which was a fundamental factor in the decision to join NATO has been.

+++ 06:02 Microsoft: Russia will increase cyber attacks on Ukraine and allies +++
As losses in the war against Ukraine mount, Russia will step up its cyberattacks on Ukraine and its allies, writes Clint Watts, head of Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Center, in his blog. He urges his customers to prepare for more Russian cyberattacks in the winter. On the one hand, a continuation of the Russian cyber offensive against critical Ukrainian infrastructures can be expected. On the other hand, one should “be prepared for cyber-based influence actions against Europe being carried out parallel to the cyber threats.”

+++ 04:56 Military Commissioner wants a fixed timetable for procurement of ammunition +++
The military commissioner Eva Högl calls for an annual timetable for the procurement of new ammunition in the tens of billions. It is understandable that the industry requires firm commitments for several years if it is to increase production capacities now, says the SPD politician. “We now need a timetable, a coordinated approach with binding agreements with the armaments industry, when which ammunition can be produced, where and in what period of time. That’s the order now, preferably coordinated at European level.”

+++ 03:51 US Secret Services: Fighting will continue to slow down +++
The US intelligence services assume that the slowdown in fighting in Ukraine will continue. “We are already seeing a kind of reduced pace of conflict and we expect that to continue in the coming months,” Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, said at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in California. Both countries would attempt to stock up on night supplies in preparation for a post-winter counteroffensive. Despite Russian attacks on the Ukrainian power grid and other civilian facilities, there are no signs of a reduced Ukrainian will to resist.

+++ 02:40 NASA: Russia has stolen wheat worth billions +++
According to the US space agency NASA, Russia harvested wheat worth around a billion dollars, around 950 million euros, from Ukrainian fields this year. Around 5.8 million tons of wheat have been harvested from fields in Ukraine that are not under the country’s control, according to NASA Harvest, the US space agency’s food security and agriculture program. For the survey, NASA Harvest uses satellite data and modeling together with several partner institutions. The scientists involved in the project estimate that a total of around 26.6 million tons were harvested on Ukrainian territory this year, which is significantly more than previously predicted.

+++ 01:21 Macron wants to talk to Putin “soon” +++
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to speak today with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, and “soon” also with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Macron told the newspaper Le Parisien after spending “many hours” discussing the war with US President Joe Biden during his visit to the United States this week. “On this basis, I will soon be able to have a concrete conversation with President Putin on the subject of civilian nuclear power,” Macron added in the interview.

+++ 23:06 USA: Putin not seriously interested in negotiations +++
According to the US, Russia’s President Putin is currently not seriously interested in peace talks. “Diplomacy is of course the goal of all of us, but you need a willing partner,” said US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland after a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Kyiv. But Putin is not ready for that. This was shown by the Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the rhetoric from the Kremlin. US President Biden recently said he was ready to talk to Putin if he was interested in ending the war. Russia then declared that the West must recognize Moscow’s declaration of annexation of four Ukrainian regions. According to Nuland, this reaction by Russia shows how little serious Russia is on this issue.

+++ 22:15 USA accuses Russia of targeting civilians +++
Russia is intentionally targeting civilians in Ukraine, according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “With deliberate cruelty, Russia is targeting civilians and civilian targets,” Austin said at a defense forum in California. “Russian attacks have killed children, destroyed schools and smashed hospitals.”

+++ 21:52 Rocket remains in Kharkiv are piling up +++
This photo was taken in Kharkiv this Saturday. It shows police officers looking at the collected fragments of rockets that landed in Ukraine’s second largest city. Prosecutors there are also conducting investigations to document material evidence of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.