Selenski calls for NATO security guarantees

Ukraine war

Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for Ukraine’s accelerated entry into the western military alliance.

(Photo: dpa)

Kyiv/ Moscow With a view to the next NATO summit in July in Lithuania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is calling for clearer accession prospects and security guarantees for his country. “Effective security guarantees for Ukraine (…) are needed even before we join the alliance,” said Zelenskiy in his evening video address on Saturday.

In autumn 2022, Zelenskiy had applied for Ukraine’s accelerated entry into the Western military alliance. However, a prerequisite for joining NATO is that the accession candidate must not be involved in international conflicts and disputes over borders. Ukraine was invaded by Russia on February 24 last year and has been defending itself against the neighboring country’s war of aggression ever since.

Meanwhile, the death toll after the Russian rocket attack on the eastern city of Sloviansk has risen to 11 civilians, officials said. Despite its role as a close ally, Poland banned grain imports from Ukraine. And the leadership in Kiev added hundreds more Russian companies and individuals to its sanctions list.

The number of victims in Sloviansk continued to rise

In his speech, Zelensky also commemorated the victims of the rocket hit in a residential area in Sloviansk last Friday. According to the Ukrainian authorities, a two-year-old child is among the eleven dead in the Donetsk region. More than 20 people are said to have been injured. The search for missing persons continued.

Sloviansk

Scores of people were killed and several homes destroyed in a rocket attack on Friday.

(Photo: dpa)

Poland bans grain imports from Ukraine

Poland has banned grain and other food imports from Ukraine. The government decided that, said the chairman of the Law and Justice party (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Poland must protect the interests of its own citizens, even if it supports Ukraine in its defense against Russia.

Poland is among the staunchest political and military supporters of Ukraine. But the farmers of the EU member state feel their existence threatened by the duty-free import of large quantities of Ukrainian grain made possible by the European Union.

Kiev sanctions Russian companies, athletes and daughter of ministers

Meanwhile, hundreds more Russian companies and individuals have been added to Ukraine’s sanctions list. Among the more than 240 companies affected are the Internet companies Yandex and VK, as can be seen from the decrees of President Zelensky. The daughter of Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Xenia Shoigu, is also on the list.

For example, those affected are no longer allowed to do business in Ukraine and are no longer allowed to enter the country. If they exist, their assets in Ukraine are usually also frozen. In many cases, however, the sanctions are likely to have symbolic value above all.

This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:

What will be important on Sunday

All over the world, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this Sunday, including in Russia and Ukraine. The day is overshadowed, especially for the people in eastern Ukraine, by the heavy fighting, which is likely to continue on this important holiday.

More: Current news on the development of the Ukraine war can be found in our news blog

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