"Disturbing": EU warns of Russia-China pact - Zelenskyj announces breakthrough with the West
Created: 05/12/2022Updated: 05/12/2022 11:02 am
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
Ukraine demands clear security guarantees.
Selenskyj now sees progress here.
Meanwhile, the EU warns of Russia-China cooperation.
The news ticker.
Ukraine conflict: Ukraine is also looking for support on the diplomatic front.
Security
Guarantees: Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced progress in negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine.
EU warns of Russia and China
: EU leaders speak of a "disturbing pact" between China and Russia.
This
news ticker on Russia-Ukraine negotiations and international efforts
is continuously updated.
Update from May 12, 10:35 a.m .:
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has changed the security situation in Europe significantly.
In view of the Ukraine war, Finland's President and Prime Minister have now spoken out in favor of joining NATO "immediately".
A formal membership application is expected in the coming days.
Ukraine War: Putin's invasion falters - heavy casualties in Russian army
First report:
Munich - The Ukraine war is not going as desired by Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.
Strong resistance from the Ukrainian military stalled its invasion after initial successes, particularly in the south and east, where fighting is now intense.
This map shows where the Ukraine war is raging.
Ukraine is defending itself with heavy weapons, which are now being supplied at an accelerated rate from the West, including Germany.
Although Kyiv primarily demands weapons, security guarantees have also been part of the demands for some time.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy now sees progress on this issue.
Ukraine diplomacy: progress on security guarantees - Zelenskyj looks to "coming decades"
"We are negotiating with the world's leading nations to give Ukraine confidence in security for decades to come," Zelenskyi said
in his daily video address on Wednesday evening
(May 11) .
Among other things, this topic was discussed at the G7 meeting on May 8, in which Ukraine took part for the first time.
"This is the first time in the history of our state that such guarantees can be recorded," underlined Zelenskyy.
And not in any memoranda or unclear formulations, "but concrete guarantees".
These are also "not only legally valid, but also formulated in such a way that it is clear: What exactly, who specifically and how specifically (Ukraine) is guaranteed".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees significant progress in efforts to secure international security guarantees for his country.
© IMAGO/Ukraine Presidency
Ukraine negotiations: Kyiv proposes Mariupol swap - currently no agreement with Russia
The situation of the soldiers in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol is also being discussed.
"As a first step, we offered the Russians the following exchange: We transport our seriously wounded boys in a humanitarian corridor from Azovstal," said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Wednesday evening, according to
Ukrajinska Pravda
.
At the same time, the Ukrainian military is releasing Russian prisoners of war "according to standard rules for their exchange".
Negotiations are still ongoing and no agreement has yet been reached.
The suffering of the wounded Ukrainian soldiers in the steelworks had been reported several times in the past few days.
According to a paramedic, there is now an absolute shortage of medication.
Horrifying reports keep coming from the Mariupol steelworks, which is the last bastion of the Ukrainian troops in the now heavily damaged port city.
The Russian military is demanding that the defenders surrender, while the Ukrainian troops categorically refuse.
Ukraine negotiations: EU with China warning - Brussels sees "worrying pact" with Russia
At a summit meeting in Japan, EU leaders warned of the negative effects of cooperation between Russia and China on the world community.
Russia "today, with its barbaric war against Ukraine and its disturbing pact with China, is the most direct threat to the world order," said EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday
(May 12)
after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Kishida emphasized: "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not just a European matter, but shakes the core of the international order, including Asia." This should "not be tolerated".
Cooperation on the Ukraine crisis is "of crucial importance for Europe, but also for the Indo-Pacific region," said EU Council President Charles Michel.
He announced that the EU and Japan also intend to "deepen their consultations on a more confident China."
Michel said the two sides discussed "ways to strengthen our security and defense cooperation."
Kishida pointed to tensions in the South and East China Seas, where Tokyo fears Beijing is increasingly trying to lay claim to disputed areas.
China's position on the invasion of Ukraine is being scrutinized by Western countries, for among other things China itself is looking towards Taiwan with an aspiration for "reunification".
The democratically self-governing island nation is in danger of becoming a target for the Chinese military.
In addition, in the Indo-Pacific there is a serious rivalry over maritime jurisdiction between China and other countries in the region, which are supported by Europe and the USA.
(bb with dpa/AFP)