05/27/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 23:29 Zelenskyj: Western supplies of arms modernize Ukrainian defenses much faster +++
From the point of view of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the constant campaigning for new military technology for the defense against Russia is paying off. “We are making faster progress in modernizing defense than was foreseeable six months ago,” said the head of state in a video speech. According to him, modern combat aircraft should become a key part of Ukrainian air defense. The Ministry of Defense in Kiev had previously announced that it was expecting 48 US F-16 fighter jets.
+++ 22:18 Johnson and Trump meet in the USA to talk about Ukraine +++
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-US President Donald Trump met the day before and discussed Ukraine and “the vital importance of Ukraine’s victory,” Johnson’s spokesman said. Johnson traveled to the US this week to discuss with politicians how to maintain support for Kiev. When both were still in office, Trump described Johnson as a friend and nicknamed him “British Trump”. There were no further details about the meeting.
+++ 21:31 Videos circulate about the explosion in Mariupol – Ria Novosti reports on the use of “Storm Shadow” rockets +++
In the port city of Mariupol, which was occupied by Russian troops, an explosion is said to have occurred very close to the Azovstal steel plant. Videos showing plumes of black smoke over the steel mill are currently circulating on Twitter, but the footage has not been independently verified. The Russian news agency Ria Novosti reports, citing a source from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), that the explosion was caused by “Storm Shadow” rockets. Accordingly, two such long-range cruise missiles were fired by Ukrainian troops near the Azovstal plant. The exiled Mariupol City Council meanwhile has on Telegram, the explosion confirmed. As early as May 19, there was a series of explosions at Mariupol Airport, as reported by the Russian state agency TASS, citing the local authorities. Russian troops had captured the port city on the Sea of Azov last year after months of heavy fighting. Large parts of the city were destroyed.
+++ 21:06 report: Ukraine asks Berlin for the Taurus cruise missile +++
Ukraine has asked Germany for the German-Swedish Taurus cruise missile, which the Bundeswehr has in stock. This was confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Defense of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” (FAS). The newspaper cites two insiders who explained that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is said to have addressed this request personally to Chancellor Scholz during his May visit. A spokesman for the federal government declined to comment. The “Taurus” is an unmanned small jet that takes off from a combat aircraft and can carry a warhead weighing 400 kilograms over 500 kilometers to the target with pinpoint accuracy. It flies at treetop height and is therefore difficult to shoot down. Because of these characteristics, it is an effective weapon against protected targets such as command bunkers or ammunition depots. A few days ago, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed reluctance to supply Taurus cruise missiles. He does not want to go into every weapon system and give a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question, said the SPD politician on Tuesday at the sidelines of the EU defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
+++ 20:40 Germany protects NATO summit in Lithuania with Patriot missiles +++
Germany secures the NATO summit in Lithuania in July with Patriot missiles. “For ground-based air defense, we will move our Patriot fire units from Slovakia and supporting units from Poland to Lithuania,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The Multinational Air and Missile Defense Taskforce Slovakia is hereby terminated.” There is general talk of “land, air and sea-based security capabilities” that are to be introduced at the Vilnius summit.
+++ 20:23 Scholz: Are ready to defend every square centimeter of NATO territory +++
During a visit to Estonia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to defending the Baltic NATO partners in the event of an attack. “To say it again clearly: We are ready to defend every square centimeter of NATO territory against attacks,” Scholz said after meeting his counterparts Kaja Kallas (Estonia), Krisjanis Karins (Latvia) and Ingrida Simonyte (Lithuania). Tallinn. “And I mean it exactly like I say it.” At the same time, Scholz left open how many German soldiers should be stationed in Lithuania as part of the promise to deploy a brigade of 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers to protect the country. When asked about Lithuanian expectations that the brigade would be stationed entirely in the country, the chancellor answered evasively. When it comes to supporting the countries on NATO’s eastern border, Germany is “very diverse here in the Baltic States, but not only there”. This also includes the presence of soldiers in Lithuania.
Here you can read more about it.
+++ 20:03 Lula rejects Putin’s invitation to St. Petersburg +++
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has declined an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to St. Petersburg in a telephone conversation. “I thanked (Putin) for the invitation to the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg and replied that I could not come to Russia at the moment,” wrote Lula on Twitter. “But I have confirmed that Brazil, like India, Indonesia and China, is ready for dialogue with both parties in the conflict in order to achieve peace,” added the Brazilian president, referring to the Ukraine war. Although Brazil has condemned the Russian war of aggression, it is urging Ukraine to negotiate peace.
Here you can read more about it.
+++ 19:45 Scholz: Delivered weapons are only used in Ukraine +++
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has given assurances that German weapons supplied to Ukraine will not be used on Russian soil. “Russia attacked Ukraine, and that’s why Ukraine can defend itself,” said the SPD politician during a visit to the Estonian capital of Tallinn. “And at the same time it is clear that the weapons we supplied will only be used on Ukrainian territory.” He referred to a similar statement by US President Joe Biden regarding US weapons in the New York Times. “And that also applies unchanged,” said Scholz. Earlier this year, the chancellor had already spoken about a “consensus” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that German weapons would not be used for attacks on Russian territory.
Read earlier developments here.