03/11/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:50 Obi boss calls withdrawal from Russia “no alternative” +++
The boss of the hardware store giant Obi, Sebastian Gundel, describes his company’s withdrawal from the Russian market in spring 2022 as “there is no alternative”. “We stopped all of our business activities in Russia due to the war against Ukraine and thus withdrew quickly and consistently from the Russian market,” Gundel told the Rheinische Post. Accordingly, Obi no longer has any activities or business operations in Russia. “For us, the withdrawal is a long-term decision that we bear with all the consequences because there was and is no alternative for us.”
+++ 06:17 Green co-boss Nouripour pleads for more speed in military support +++
Green party leader Omid Nouripour is in favor of accelerating military support to Ukraine in order to save the country from defeat by attackers Russia. Nouripour tells the “Rheinische Post” and the Bonn “General-Anzeiger”: “The debate about fighter jets is not pending. What is pending is the acceleration of tank deliveries and the production of ammunition.” If, for example, Poland reports that it is handing over more Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine, then this is a step in the right direction. “Because when the Russians start their major offensive in the next few weeks, as soon as the ground is no longer so muddy, we will realize that we are running late. We have to think about how we can speed up the delivery of the ‘Leos’ so that a larger part will arrive in the Ukrainian armed forces this year and not in 2024.”
+++ 05:40 war-related shortage of sunflower oil fixed +++
The temporary shortage of sunflower oil has been resolved a good year after the start of the Ukraine war. “Ukrainian exports of sunflower seeds, sunflower oil and rapeseed have almost reached the pre-war level again and are also arriving in Germany,” says a spokesman for the oilseed processing industry in Germany (Ovid). Before the war, Ukraine was the world’s largest exporter.
+++ 03:55 Georgia and USA – Russia must feel sanctions +++
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan have said at a meeting that Russia should feel “the full economic cost of sanctions, export controls and other economic restrictions” over its war in Ukraine. The White House reports.
+++ 01:41 fencing association allows athletes from Russia and Belarus to qualify for the Olympics +++
Fencers from Russia and Belarus are allowed to participate in the qualification for the 2024 Olympics. In addition, teams and delegates from the two countries will also be allowed to take part in the competitions on the way to Paris. The decision will be made by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) at an extraordinary congress held online. The motion to allow Russian and Belarusian fencers to participate in individual competitions “subject to the conditions of neutrality and individual admission” was accepted with 89 votes to 46 and one abstention.
+++ 00:10 Selenskyj praises Norway as a “special ally” +++
After a meeting with Norway’s Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the country as a special European ally in terms of military aid. Norway is setting an example by supporting the $7 billion struggle over the next five years, Zelenskyy said in his evening video address. Thanks to Norway, Ukraine has expanded its air defense, artillery and other areas. At the meeting with Gram, the possibility of training pilots on Western fighter jets was also discussed, according to Zelenskyj.
+++ 23:28 USA and EU want to target supporters of Russia +++
The European Union and the USA want to step up action against supporters of the Russian war of aggression, but have not yet announced any concrete measures. “Together we are taking new steps to target more third country actors around the world to stop support for the Russian war from any corner of the world where it is detected,” US President Joe Biden and the EU announced Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after a meeting at the White House. The focus is on preventing Russia from circumventing sanctions. They are working in lockstep to limit Russian revenues while ensuring energy supplies in emerging and developing countries. China is not explicitly mentioned in the joint communication.
+++ 22:19 Ukraine throws the Orthodox Church out of the Kiev monastery +++
Ukrainian authorities have ordered a traditionally pro-Russian faction of the Orthodox Church to leave a monastery complex in Kiev. The Ministry of Culture accuses the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of disregarding the terms of use of the nearly thousand-year-old cave monastery, but does not give any details. The government suspects the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of collaborating with Russia. The faith community has said it has cut ties with Russia. Most Ukrainian believers belong to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which has clearly opposed the Russian invaders.
+++ 21:59 Biden and von der Leyen reaffirm support for Ukraine +++
US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirm their unity in supporting Ukraine. “As a partner, together we support Ukraine, which is fighting for freedom and independence,” says von der Leyen in Washington. “We make Russia pay for its horrible war.” Biden says the US and EU stand with the “brave people of Ukraine” with military aid to Kiev and “historic sanctions” against Russia.
+++ 21:42 Canada bans the import of Russian aluminum and steel +++
Canada bans imports of all Russian aluminum and steel products to deprive Moscow of funding its war against Ukraine. “Ukraine can and must win this war. We will continue to do everything in our power to cut off or limit the revenue that is funding Putin’s illegal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine,” Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement Explanation.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.