Ukraine is an official candidate for EU membership, but in view of the war, a quick accession is considered unlikely.
(Photo: dpa)
Kyiv Amidst the Russian invasion, which has now been going on for almost a year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to press ahead with his country’s planned EU accession. Kyiv is expecting “news” from an EU-Ukraine summit later this week, Zelensky said in his evening video address on Tuesday.
“We expect decisions from our partners in the European Union that (…) correspond to our progress. Progress that is obviously there – and that even despite the large-scale war,” said Zelensky. He reiterated that reforms are being worked on in Kyiv.
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of the neighboring country. The war has increased the desire among many Ukrainians to join the EU soon. The country has been a candidate for EU membership since June. Associated with this, however, are conditions, among other things, in the fight against corruption.
Habeck speaks out against fighter jets for Ukraine
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) has spoken out against the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine. In the ZDF program “Markus Lanz” on Tuesday evening, Habeck spoke of a “balancing act” between “maximum support” for Ukraine, without Germany itself becoming a war party. “And of course it’s not entirely clear where the line goes there.”
According to Habeck, from what he knows, Ukraine needs the maintenance of the West for modern Western fighter jets, which could then “probably” go a step too far. It is right to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine. “But there is a difference between war tanks and fighter jets.”
The Vice-Chancellor was cautious about fighter jet deliveries.
(Photo: dpa)
France delivers twelve more Caesar howitzers to Ukraine. This was announced by France’s Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu during a visit by his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Resnikov to Paris.
France has already delivered 18 of these howitzers to Ukraine and has now freed up tens of millions of euros for the maintenance of the guns, Lecornu said. In addition, Ukraine is to receive a GM 200 air surveillance radar and fuel supplies from France.
Greece does not deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine
Greece will not supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine because of tensions with Turkey. This was announced by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a visit to Japan. “We will not give Leopard-2s for the simple reason that they are absolutely necessary to our defense strategy,” Mitsotakis said.
Relations between Greece and Turkey are currently going through a very tense phase due to a dispute over sovereign rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece has one of the largest European tank fleets, operating more than 300 Leopard 2 tanks.
The Greek Prime Minister considers his country’s Leopard 2 tanks indispensable in defense against Turkey.
(Photo: AP)
Russia has admitted that since last fall it has wrongly conscripted several thousand men into the army for the war against Ukraine. “More than 9,000 citizens who were illegally mobilized were brought back home, including those who should not have been called up for health reasons,” Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov said at a meeting with Putin.
However, critical observers assume that significantly more people were illegally recruited during the mobilization ordered by Putin last September – and may never have returned. Especially in the first few weeks, chaotic conditions in the district military replacement offices were described in many places. A total of 300,000 men had been drafted for the front across the country.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
Ukraine: A good 13,000 people have been prevented from leaving the country since the beginning of the war
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian border guards have prevented more than 13,000 people from leaving the country since the Russian invasion last year. “In total, more than 9,100 people have been arrested at the green border since February 24,” said authority spokesman Andriy Demchenko. Most of them were picked up at the border sections with Romania and Moldova. As part of the general mobilization at the beginning of the war, a ban on leaving the country was imposed for conscript Ukrainians between the ages of 18 and 60, with a few exceptions.
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