Dusseldorf The West remains in contact with the Kremlin at the top level. However, it is still not possible to deduce from the talks on Friday whether concrete progress has been made in ending the Russian attack on Ukraine. Instead, further discrepancies become clear. According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin complained of war crimes by the Ukrainian army during a phone call with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
The shelling of residential areas in the cities of Donetsk and Makiivka resulted in numerous fatalities. “These war crimes were ignored in the West,” the Kremlin said in a statement on Friday. The German government announced in Berlin that the hour-long conversation was dedicated to the war and the efforts to end it.
Chancellor Scholz “urged that there be a ceasefire, an improvement in the humanitarian situation and progress in the search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict as soon as possible,” it said. During the phone call initiated by Scholz, Putin said that everything was being done on the Russian side to avoid civilian casualties, the Kremlin said.
For example, people should be taken out of the contested zones via humanitarian corridors. On Thursday alone, 43,000 people were able to leave the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, it said. These plans failed again and again, the attacking Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the escape routes.
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Putin also informed Scholz about the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian sides to resolve the conflict. According to the information, the Kremlin chief complained that “the Ukrainian side is delaying the process with new unrealistic proposals”. Recently there had been reports of a 15-point plan for peace. However, this plan seems to reflect one-sided demands of the Kremlin.
Russia is interested in a solution under the conditions mentioned so far. For example, Ukraine is to declare its neutrality as a country in the future and recognize the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as independent and recognize the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, as part of Russia.
>> More on the topic: All current developments in our news blog
From Moscow’s point of view, Crimea became part of Russia exactly eight years ago, on March 18, 2014. This is not recognized internationally. Putin also wanted to give a speech on the anniversary on Friday, state television announced. At noon, Russia’s National Security Council, chaired by Putin, also discussed the situation in Ukraine.
Russia refuses outside interference
“The meeting discussed the current international situation and continued the exchange of views on the ongoing special operation of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax agency. Moscow calls the war against the neighboring country a “special military operation”. In addition, Putin informed the permanent members of the Security Council about recent phone calls.
Russia guards against outside interference. It is not up to the German chancellor to decide who should lead Russia, Peskov said. The Russian people decide that. A telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron is also planned for this Friday.
Peskov also criticized recent statements by US President Joe Biden, who on Thursday called Putin a “murderous dictator” in view of the war against Ukraine. “We really hear and see statements that are in fact personal insults against President Putin,” said Peskov. Beyond that, however, he did not want to evaluate Biden’s statements. The US President had previously referred to Putin as a “war criminal”, much to Moscow’s annoyance.
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Great Britain agrees with these statements. Secretary of Defense James Heappey told Sky News on Friday: “The criminal responsibility for war crimes clearly rests with the leader of the Russian government – the man who chose to do all this in the first place.” Evidence pointed to serious crimes. As an example, the conservative politician cited the attack on the theater in the port city of Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians had sought shelter.
“The Russians are using artillery and rockets indiscriminately to destroy a city that they could not take militarily,” the state secretary said. “It’s a barbaric tactic.” Heappey announced that he would also prosecute the military. “In the end, not only Putin will bear the responsibility for war crimes.” No one in the military chain of command can hide behind the line of only following orders. “It is an eyesore on the Russian nation.”
The military situation
Both Ukraine and Russia reported military successes. The troops responded to every attack by Russian units, said President Volodmir Zelensky in a video message published on Telegram on Friday night. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, one person died and 19 were injured in an attack on a residential area in Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of war crimes. But gives no evidence.
(Photo: dpa)
Heavy explosions occurred at the airport in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv (Lemberg) on Friday morning. Several Russian rockets had landed there, Mayor Andriy Sadowy said on Telegram.
The airport itself was not hit, but an aircraft repair facility was destroyed. The mayor said there were no casualties. Operations at the plant have been stopped. Sadowy called on the residents to pay attention to possible air raid alarms and not to distribute photos of the impact site.
The Russian army reported that it had taken control of 90 percent of eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region. The self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk have been supported and equipped by Russia since 2014. The territory they controlled before the February 24 Russian attack included only part of Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The Separatists claim these larger areas – their conquest is one of Moscow’s war aims.
Several explosions in Lviv and Kyiv on Friday morning
According to British intelligence services, Moscow is having trouble getting food or fuel for its own troops in Ukraine because Russia has no airspace control and rarely moves over unpaved terrain.
According to Ukrainian sources, 130 people have been rescued from the rubble of the theater in Mariupol. The search for survivors continues, says Ukrainian human rights commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova on television. The theater, in which numerous civilians had taken shelter, was attacked from the air on Wednesday.
Ukraine blames Russian troops for this, Russia denies the attack. Denisova goes on to say that so far 173,500 people have been brought to safety from the towns on the front line that were under fire. The port city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea is also under fire and surrounded.
Fewer refugees in the direction of Poland
So far, more than 197,000 refugees from Ukraine have been registered in Germany. This is announced by a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser said when visiting an arrival center in Berlin that she was working “closely with the federal states and local authorities to quickly ensure relief and distribution”. At the same time, the SPD politician emphasizes: “Caring for, housing and distributing the refugees is a major effort that we are all doing together.”
Meanwhile, that is a fraction of the number of people who have fled to safety in Poland before the war. So far, more than two million people have fled to the neighboring country. The Polish border guard announced on Twitter that it was mainly women and children. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the number of daily border crossings from Ukraine to Poland has fallen. However, they could rise again if the situation in Lviv escalates.
>> Read here: Scenarios for the end of the Ukraine war: A long road to the ceasefire
Poland has meanwhile announced that it will make its economy more independent of Russia. An attempt will be made to “de-Trussify” them, says Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. New pipelines should be built for this. Morawiecki also announces measures to counter the rise in food prices. Farmers should be compensated for the higher fertilizer prices.
The Polish government also wants to formally apply for a NATO peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that a corresponding proposal would be submitted at the next summit.
In addition to the arms supplier, Japan has now sanctioned more than 90 Russian individuals and groups.
(Photo: imago images/ITAR-TASS)
>> Read here: World economy in crisis: OECD thinks a trillion dollar damage from the Ukraine war is possible
US-China call scheduled for today
US President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping will be on the phone today at 2 p.m. German time to discuss the war in Ukraine. According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US wants to make it clear that China bears responsibility for any measures it takes in support of Russian aggression.
“We are concerned that China is considering directly supporting Russia with military equipment for use in Ukraine,” Blinken said. China has so far denied such plans. Washington is also concerned that China could help Russia evade economic sanctions imposed by Western states. Meanwhile, efforts are underway in Germany to further gain independence from Russia. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck is traveling to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this weekend. The visit is part of efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy imports following Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
The Federal Minister of Economics will travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this weekend.
(Photo: IMAGO/Chris Emil Janssen)
Qatar is one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG). So far, however, the vast majority has gone to Asia. The Greens politician said the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has also put the issue of energy security at the center of international discussion.
>> Read here: Gas from Spain is supposed to help northern Europe – but a pipeline is missing
Habeck initially flies to Qatar on Saturday. In the capital, Doha, he is received by the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Talks with ministers are also planned. On Sunday we continue to the United Arab Emirates. Habeck wants to meet several ministers there. According to the ministry, he will be accompanied by a high-ranking business delegation on the trip, which lasts until Monday.
With agency material.
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