Sergei Lavrov accuses the leadership in Kyiv of “militant rhetoric”.
(Photo: dpa)
Kyiv The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov incited hatred against NATO in two interviews during the night. In an interview with the Chinese agency Xinhua early on Saturday morning, according to Russian agencies, he accused the military alliance of preventing the end of the “special operation” through political agreements and arms deliveries.
Russia also does not see itself in a war with NATO. Rather, NATO believes it is at war with Russia, Lavrov said.
In an interview with the Arabic-language channel Al-Arabiya, Lavrov also said that Russia knows the routes through which the West wants to deliver arms to Ukraine. The delivered weapons should now become the target of Russian attacks “once they reach the territory of Ukraine”.
>> Read about this: Camouflage, deceive, transport – How German weapons get to the Ukrainian front
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Negotiations with Kyiv on a draft agreement to end the war are not going well, according to Lavrov: they are also being hampered by the “militant rhetoric and inflammatory actions of Kyiv’s western supporters”. However, the Russian side is in favor of continuing the negotiation process.
According to Ukrajinska Pravda, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said there was a high risk that Kyiv would break off negotiations with Moscow. He again called for direct negotiations with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. The first negotiations to end the hostilities began four days after the Russian invasion on February 24.
The fighting is concentrated in the east of the country.
(Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire)
In his evening video speech, Zelenski said about the situation in the east of the country: “We hit the occupiers in all directions in which they try to advance. The situation in the Kharkiv region is difficult, but our military and secret service have made important tactical successes.” He did not give any further details.
Railway bridge blown up in eastern Ukraine
The Ukrainian army blew up a railway bridge in the Donetsk region. A Russian freight train was hit, as the “Ukrajinska Pravda” wrote. According to the online portal “Hromadske”, it was unclear whether it was a freight wagon or a tank wagon.
According to the newspapers, the destroyed bridge was a connection over the river Siwerskyi Donets between the towns of Lyman and Rajhorodok in eastern Ukraine. The railway connection to Lyman, which is at the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, has been destroyed.
IAEA: Russian nuclear specialists in Zaporizhia
Russian authorities have sent nuclear specialists to Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia to the south-east. The eight representatives of Rosenergoatom, which belongs to the Russian state-owned company Rosatom, are demanding daily reports from the station management on “confidential issues” related to the operation of the nuclear plant, according to a statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing Ukrainian authorities.
Accordingly, the nuclear power plant will continue to be operated by Ukrainian personnel, but will be controlled by Russian forces. Russian troops had occupied the facility on March 4th. According to the IAEA, communication with the Chernobyl plant will be gradually restored.
IAEA director Rafael Grossi has repeatedly expressed concern about the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. He had already traveled to Ukraine in March and had spoken to employees at the southern Ukraine nuclear power plant. Four nuclear power plants with 15 units are currently in operation in Ukraine.
US trains Ukrainian soldiers
The United States is training Ukrainian soldiers in Germany and other locations on how to use military equipment. US Secretary of Defense spokesman John Kirby said training on German soil had already begun. Among other things, it is about how to deal with howitzers and other weapon systems that Kyiv is getting to support the war against Russia.
The US is providing Ukraine with arms and ammunition on a large scale to support the country in the war against Russia.
More Handelsblatt articles on the war in Ukraine
Mützenich promotes diplomatic initiatives
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich has called on the federal government to approach countries that have so far supported Russia, for example for economic reasons, with diplomatic initiatives. “It is crucial that Russia’s strategic partners turn their backs on Putin. 45 countries have not condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine, including five nuclear powers,” said Mützenich in the “Rheinische Post”.
“Putin’s government must be isolated. And we have to achieve that through talks in the countries.” For example, India wants to buy large quantities of gas from Russia. China is also an important supporter of Russia. Likewise Brazil, South Africa and other countries.
That’s going to be important today
At a small party conference in Düsseldorf on Saturday, the Greens will discuss the consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Also on the agenda is a commitment to support the reconstruction of Ukraine and to help developing countries suffering from the loss of grain supplies from Ukraine.
The CSU also meets for a small party conference in Würzburg. The main focus is on foreign policy. In view of the war, the party is banking even more strongly than before on ties to the West, military strength and independence.
More: You can follow the latest developments in our news blog