Ukraine negotiations: Joe Biden calls for more toughness towards Russia: "Have strangled democracy"

Created: 03/26/2022Updated: 03/26/2022 7:12 p.m

By: Anna-Katharina Ahnefeld

Selenskyj lists which EU countries he sees alongside Ukraine.

Ukraine makes a proposal on energy supply.

News ticker on negotiations.

• In a video message, the Ukrainian President Selenskyj* addresses the individual EU states

  (see first report)

  .

  You can find out more about the chronology of the escalated Ukraine conflict* here.

• Ukraine is offering its storage for a European gas reserve

  (see update from March 26, 1:10 p.m.).

• The speech by US President Joe Biden* during his visit to Poland in the middle of the Ukraine war* is eagerly awaited on Saturday

  (see update from March 26, 2:30 p.m.).

• US President Joe Biden calls Kremlin boss Putin a "butcher" during his visit to Poland

  (see update from March 26, 4 p.m.).

• US President Biden calls for the cohesion of democracies and describes Russia's war of aggression as a "strategic failure"

  (see update from March 26, 6:47 p.m.).

• Our 

  news ticker on the Ukraine-Russia negotiations

   is constantly updated.

  All topics related to the escalated Ukraine conflict* can be found here.

Update from March 26, 6:47 p.m .:

Right at the beginning of his speech in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, US President Joe Biden pledged his support to Ukraine.

He emphasizes: "We stand by your side, we stand by you!".

Biden sharply condemns the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and Kremlin chief Putin and already describes the war as a “strategic failure of the Russian Federation”.

He says: "Putin is not fighting to liberate Ukraine.

That is a lie.” Russia has “strangled democracy” and not only in its own country.

There is "simply no justification" for the invasion of Ukraine.

With regard to the sanctions, Biden says: "Swift and punitive costs will be the only thing that can throw Russia off course." The existing international sanctions were "targeted at the heart of the Russian economy".

At the same time, according to Biden, the world must prepare for a long conflict.

The President emphasizes that the Russian people are not the enemy and expresses understanding for the population.

Biden addressed the Kremlin in clear words: "Don't even think about threatening even an inch from NATO territory.

We have a sacred duty to defend every inch of the NATO ground.”

Biden also addressed his word to the EU and demanded: “Europe must give up its dependence on Russian fossil energy sources”.

In addition, Biden appeals to the unity of the world: "We must continue to be absolutely united as democracies in the world".

In order to pass this "test", not only lip service would be enough, but hard work is necessary.

US President Biden calls Kremlin boss Putin a "butcher" in the Ukraine war

Update from March 26, 4 p.m.:

During his visit to Poland, US President Joe Biden makes it clear how he thinks of Kremlin boss Putin.

When asked what he thinks of Putin given the suffering of the people of Ukraine, Biden replies: "He is a butcher".

He uses the English word "butcher", which can also be translated into German as "butcher".

At the beginning of his visit to Ukraine's neighboring country of Poland, Biden already described the Kremlin boss as a "war criminal".

Ukraine negotiations: US President Biden speaks of “sacred obligation”

Update from March 26, 2:30 p.m .:

During his visit to Poland in the middle of the Ukraine war, US President Joe Biden emphasized his country’s determination to provide military support to NATO partners in the event of an attack.

Article 5 of the NATO treaty on the alliance case * is "a sacred obligation" for the USA, Biden said on Saturday at a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.

"You can rely on it ... for your freedom and ours." He assumes that Russian President Vladimir Putin "expected to be able to split NATO, to be able to separate the east flank from the west," Biden said .

But he wasn't able to do that.

Joe Biden (M), President of the USA, and Andrzej Duda (L), President of Poland, inspect the honor guard at the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.

© Evan Vucci/AP/dpa

Biden also thanked Poland for taking in the refugees from Ukraine.

“We recognize that Poland is taking on a great responsibility, which I believe should not only concern Poland.

It should be the responsibility of the whole world, of all NATO," said the US President.

"We understand the fact that so many Ukrainians are seeking refuge in Poland, because we have thousands of people on our southern border who (...) try to get to the United States every day."

Ukraine negotiations: Poland's President Duda receives Joe Biden in Warsaw

Update from March 26, 1:10 p.m .:

Ukraine offers its natural gas storage facilities for storage of a strategic European energy reserve.

His country has the largest underground storage facilities in Europe, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

"Despite Russia's full-scale military aggression, Ukraine remains a strong and reliable energy security partner for Europe."

Halushchenko wrote that he welcomed the fact that the European Union wanted to break away from Russian gas supplies and buy together from other suppliers.

With its storage facilities, Ukraine can contribute to this solidarity and equalization mechanism.

Update from March 26, 1 p.m.:

Polish President Andrzej Duda received US President Joe Biden in the Warsaw Presidential Palace.

Biden attended a reception ceremony in the Polish capital on Saturday afternoon.

A military band played the American and Polish national anthems.

Biden was accompanied to the Presidential Palace by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, among others.

The Polish counterparts Zbigniew Rau and Mariusz Blaszczak were also present.

A bilateral meeting between Biden and Duda was scheduled to follow the ceremony.

Earlier, Biden briefly met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.

Ukraine negotiations: US President Joe Biden is in Poland - accompanied by Blinken and Austin

Update from March 26, 12:45 p.m .:

In the IPPEN interview, Eastern Europe correspondent Aleksandra Fedorska from Poland looks at the Ukraine war and the reaction to a possible attack on NATO territory.

Update from March 26, 12:30 p.m .:

US President Joe Biden met the Foreign and Defense Ministers of Ukraine in person on Saturday in Poland.

The US President held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov at the Marriott Hotel in Warsaw, the White House said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin also attended the meeting.

It was Biden's first face-to-face meeting with senior government officials in Kyiv since the Ukraine war began more than a month ago.

It was considered remarkable that Kuleba and Reznikov were able to leave their country for the meeting.

Ukraine negotiations: Zelenskyj accuses Russia of fueling a new nuclear arms race

Update from March 26, 10:35 a.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has accused Russia of fueling a new nuclear arms race.

"They (the Russians) are boasting that they can use nuclear weapons to destroy not just a specific country, but the entire planet," Zelenskyy said in a video message to attendees of the Doha Forum in the capital of Qatar on Saturday.

He called on the Qatari government to boost natural gas production.

"I ask you to increase the amount of energy produced so that everyone in Russia understands that nobody can use energy as a weapon to blackmail the world," said Zelenskyy.

War negotiations: Selenskyj lists who he sees on the side of Ukraine - with a message to Germany

First report from March 26, 10 a.m.:

Kiev/Moscow – In the middle of the Ukraine war, US President Joe Biden traveled to Poland and thus to the eastern flank of NATO.

The Democrat's speech is eagerly awaited on Saturday.

According to the White House, his speech at around 6 p.m. in the Warsaw Royal Castle will be about the “joint efforts of the free world” to support the Ukrainian people.

Before that, Biden wants to talk to the mayor of the Polish capital, Rafal Trzaskowski, about the city's help for refugees.

At this appointment in Warsaw's National Stadium, the US President also wants to speak to refugees and representatives of aid organizations.

During his visit to Poland, Biden again called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal".

Ukraine negotiations: President Zelenskyj with a clear message to Hungary - and Germany

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj turned to the individual EU states on Saturday night – and explained who he saw on the side of Ukraine* and who not.

He enumerated: "Latvia stands by our side, Lithuania stands by our side, Estonia stands by our side, Poland stands by our side... France, Emmanuel, I firmly believe that you will stand by our side."

Selenskyj is particularly clear when it comes to Hungary: “I want to be honest, once and for all.

You have decided which side you want to be on.

You are an independent state, I was in Budapest.

i love your city

I have been there several times, a beautiful and hospitable city and people.” Hungary has a tragic history and he and his family visited the Schuh memorial on the banks of the Danube to commemorate the mass shooting of Jewish people during World War II.

Then he addressed Hungarian head of state Viktor Orbán* directly: “If you can, go to the banks of the Danube, look at these shoes and you will see how mass destruction can also take place in our world today.

And that's what Russia is doing today.

The same shoes.

In Mariupol are the same people: parents and their children, grandparents, thousands of them.

And those thousands have left us.”

Zelenskyj further asks: “And you are considering imposing sanctions or not?

And hesitant to let guns through or not?

And to trade with Russia or not?” The time for hesitation is over, a decision must now be made.

"We believe in your people and in the European Union," said Zelenskyj, before addressing Germany at the end of his speech: "We believe that Germany will also stand by our side at the crucial moment."

Ukraine-News: According to Selenskyj, Russia is said to have invested billions in propaganda

According to the Ukrainian President, the Russian leadership has meanwhile spent tens of billions of dollars on propaganda.

"You all know very well what a huge state propaganda system Russia* has built up," said Selenskyj in a video message on Saturday night.

"Probably no one in the world has ever spent such huge sums on lies."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine.

(Archive photo) © Ukraine Presidency/Imago Images

However, Moscow did not take into account that this does not guarantee a result.

"Where the path of lies has to be paved with money, the result is not guaranteed," Zelenskyj said.

"The path of truth is difficult, but truth paves its own way." Russia categorically denied any intentions to attack for about weeks before the start of the offensive in Ukraine.

In front of their own public, the war is only declared as a "special operation".

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal has asked all mayors worldwide for humanitarian aid for the people of his country.

At the same time, on Friday evening he appealed to all international partners to support the later reconstruction of his country.

"I address (with this request) not only to the friendly governments, but also to the mayors of European and other cities in the world," he said.

"Right now Russia is destroying our towns and villages like the Nazis did 80 years ago."

Ukraine negotiations: Great Britain imposes further sanctions in the Ukraine war

The UK government has imposed sanctions* on a further 65 individuals and companies in Russia in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Among them is the Russian armaments company Kronstadt as a producer of the armed Orion drone and other unmanned aerial vehicles, according to an update from the British Ministry of Defense that was published on Saturday night.

These systems were used in the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the statement said, citing intelligence information.

Since solid Ukrainian air defenses may have limited manned flights beyond the frontline, Russia was certainly forced to use more unmanned aerial vehicles.

This is likely to lead to greater demand for these systems and their wear and tear.

The sanctions would hurt Russia's defense industry and limit its ability to replace the systems.

Even before the war began, London began sharing intelligence information with the public in an unusually open manner.

For several weeks now, the government has been publishing daily assessments of the course of the war of aggression.