Ukrainian soldiers tow a damaged pick-up truck with a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle.
(Photo: Reuters)
Kyiv In the fight against the Russian invasion, Ukraine is demanding a tenfold increase in western military aid and tougher sanctions. “We are grateful to our allies for their military assistance. But that’s not enough,” Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Ukraine needs ten times more to end Russian aggression this year.”
So far, all allies have provided a total of 55 billion US dollars (50 billion euros). But it takes ten times that, emphasized the diplomat, who had been ambassador to Germany for a long time.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for tougher sanctions and enforcement of existing sanctions against Russia. “The tougher the sanctions against Russia and against the entire Russian war economy, the faster the war will end,” he said in his daily video message. On the other hand, Russia repeatedly claims that the sanctions are ineffective and will neither end the war nor destroy the economy of the resource superpower.
Deputy Foreign Minister Melnyk said that the partners in the West should finally stop drawing artificial red lines for their support. Rather, they should spend one percent of their gross domestic product on arms deliveries to Ukraine, he demanded. In the case of Germany alone, that would be more than 35 billion euros.
The Ukrainian diplomat said the amounts are small compared to World War II. “The allies should understand the scale of this war,” said Melnyk, who also appeared on a Ukrainian TV talk show on the subject. In addition to military aid, there are billions in payments from Western countries, with which Ukraine maintains its national budget.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for around 14 months. Western countries are supplying it with the weapons and ammunition it needs. Last year, Ukraine also managed to recapture larger areas.
>> Read also: While “the bloodiest battles in decades” are raging in Bakhmut, Ukraine is cutting the wages of its soldiers
The armed forces are now preparing for a new offensive to liberate even more occupied territories. Russia is also ramping up its wartime economy. The nuclear power is preparing for a long war against Ukraine.
Zelensky calls for enforcement of sanctions against Russia
Zelensky once again complained that Russia was circumventing the sanctions imposed by the West in the wake of the war. It is a central task of the international community to prevent this. Russia, for example, imports many goods via parallel imports and third countries. In addition, despite the blockades by the West, the country continues to earn billions from oil and gas exports and is thus keeping its war economy running.
Zelensky shared that he signed new sanctions decrees aimed at harming Russia and the military-industrial complex in particular. He did not give any details on the possible effect of these steps. By his own account, Zelensky sees progress in Ukraine’s efforts to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry. He again accused Russia of using nuclear power as a weapon, like all forms of energy.
Specifically, the head of state referred to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops and used by Moscow for nuclear blackmail. Zelensky said an alliance of Western countries, including the US, Great Britain and Japan, could work to exclude the “terror state” Russia from the world market for nuclear energy. In his video, Selenski once again thanked individual states such as Germany for their military assistance, for example in strengthening Ukraine’s air defense against Russian attacks.
Brazil’s President Lula calls again for Ukraine peace talks
On the other hand, Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva continued to advocate for peace talks during a visit to Europe. During a state visit to Portugal on Saturday, he again criticized Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s state integrity. From this, however, he did not derive any demand for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, but called for peace talks.
“Russia doesn’t want to stop, and Ukraine doesn’t want to stop.”
(Photo: dpa)
Indirectly, Lula put attacker and attacked on the same level. “Russia doesn’t want to stop and Ukraine doesn’t want to stop,” he was quoted as saying by the Portuguese state news agency Lusa. Brazil wants to work with partners to facilitate peace between Russia and Ukraine. He did not give any details about this project.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
In January, Lula proposed international mediation involving Brazil and China. Kiev categorically rejected a suggestion by Brazil that Ukraine should give up the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which had been annexed by Russia, for the sake of peace.
A few days ago, Lula criticized the military support of Ukraine by NATO and countries outside the alliance. On a visit to China, he said: “The US must stop promoting war and start talking about peace. The EU needs to start talking about peace.” The US reacted with snubs and publicly rebuked Lula.
Lula’s host in Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, stressed the differences between the two countries on the war issue. Ukraine has the right to defend itself and to liberate its territory occupied by Russia, he stressed. Only on this basis is a lasting peace possible.
What will be important on Sunday
In eastern Ukraine, fighting continues to focus on the Donetsk region. It is there that the city of Bachmut is the most heavily contested.
Despite the recent advances made by Russian combat units, President Zelensky does not want to give up the largely destroyed but strategically important city, fearing that the Russians would otherwise break through even further inland.
More: Current news on the development of the Ukraine war can be found in our news blog