Putin's henchman Medvedev laughs at G7 statement on Ukraine - Baerbock sets Russia a condition for dialogue

Created: 05/16/2022, 12:12 p.m

By: Anna-Katharina Ahnefeld

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba confirmed that Ukraine would not cede any territories to Russia.

News ticker on negotiations in the Ukraine war.

• Ukraine war

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  The Ukrainian presidential adviser speaks of "fake" and predicts - "Any attempt to negotiate with the West will fail."

• Russia rows back on the threat of nuclear weapons

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  If Finland and Sweden join NATO, Moscow wants to make its reaction dependent on the concrete military infrastructure of the alliance.

• According to former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, Russia is "don't give a damn" if the G7 does not recognize the new borders.

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  news ticker on Russia-Ukraine negotiations and international efforts

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Update from May 16, 6.30 a.m .:

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to increasingly ask for help in the Russian war of aggression against his country in Africa and Asia.

He wants to speak to parliaments in other countries, said Selenskyj in his daily video speech on Monday night.

In the past few months, the Ukrainian President had solicited support from parliamentarians in Europe, among other things, via video link.

In a week he also wants to address the World Economic Forum in Davos, where, among other things, post-war reconstruction will be discussed.

One goal is also the tightening of sanctions against Russia, stressed Selenskyj.

"The occupiers must constantly feel the increasing price of war for them." The oil embargo against Russia is a priority.

“No matter how much Moscow tries to obstruct this decision, Europe's period of dependence on Russian energy resources is coming to an end.

And that will not change either,” Zelenskyj said.

Ukraine diplomacy: Baerbock makes condition on Russia - "bombing must stop"

Update from May 15, 4:50 p.m.:

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called the end of the bombing of Ukraine by Russia as a prerequisite for resuming dialogue with Moscow.

"We are always ready not only to speak, but to finally stop killing people," said the Green politician on Sunday at the end of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin.

"But for this to happen, these bombings have to stop," added Baerbock.

The Russian government had made it clear that the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997 was no longer worth anything, Baerbock criticized.

The Founding Act had been unilaterally terminated by Russia.

That is why NATO is strengthening the eastern flank.

In addition, one must ensure that Finland and Sweden would not be threatened in the event of a possible accession.

This also applies to the Baltic partners and the countries on NATO's southern flank.

Accordingly, "further capabilities will be made available there, including we as the Federal Republic of Germany, in order to be able to defend every corner of our common alliance in case of doubt," said Baerbock.

Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock speaks at a press conference at the end of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Berlin.

© picture alliance/dpa |

Bernd von Jutrczenka

Zelenskyy: situation in the Donbass region "very difficult"

Update from May 15, 1:02 p.m .:

The fighting in eastern Ukraine continues and gives little hope of improvement.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the Donbass region as "very difficult".

Russian forces would try to achieve "at least some victory" there, the president said in his daily video address.

However, the 44-year-old remained confident.

"Step by step we are forcing the occupiers to leave our country," said Zelenskyj, referring to the Russian troops.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated that they are not ready for an agreement with Russia that would require Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.

"There is nothing wrong with a ceasefire if it is the first step towards a solution where Ukrainian territory is liberated," he said.

"But we will not accept that there is a partial separation of territory." The government in Kyiv will "not allow diplomacy to simply prolong our suffering and simply postpone the next phase of the war."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated that no territories would be handed over to Russia in any peace negotiations.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Zelenskyj receives US delegation in Kyiv - demand for new sanctions

Update from May 14, 10:57 p.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj received a delegation of US parliamentarians led by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in Kiev.

This was announced by the Ukrainian Presidential Office on Saturday.

Zelenskyy thanked the guests for the leading role played by the USA in supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia, but at the same time called for further punitive measures against Moscow.

"I am eagerly awaiting US support for new sanctions," the Ukrainian leader said.

"Among other things, we believe that Russia should be officially classified as a state sponsor of terrorism." By helping Ukraine to fend off the Russian onslaught, the US not only protected its country, "but also the democratic values ​​and freedoms it protects." Right of nations to freely choose their future".

Update from May 14, 8:36 p.m .:

Former Russian head of state Dmitry Medvedev reacted with sarcasm and criticism to the support of Ukraine by the leading industrialized nations.

"To put it mildly: our country doesn't give a damn if the G7 does not recognize the new borders," he commented on Saturday in his Telegram channel on the declaration of the G7 states that they "never" want to recognize border changes that Russia wants to enforce with military force .

In this case, only the will of the people living there is important, according to Medvedev.

For several weeks there has been speculation about referenda in parts of Ukraine occupied by pro-Moscow troops for an annexation to Russia.

The 56-year-old once again referred to Kosovo, which the Kremlin regards as a precedent for the possible shifting of borders.

Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.

(Archive) © Dmitry Astakhov/dpa

Ukraine negotiations: Russian government spokeswoman addresses Baerbock

Update from May 14, 5:44 p.m .:

Russia has rejected responsibility for the high food prices and the risk of a global hunger crisis and responded sharply to allegations by Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Prices rose because of Western sanctions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Saturday.

"If you don't understand that, it's either a sign of stupidity or deliberately misleading the public," she told Baerbock.

Another reason for the global food crisis is the collapse of Ukraine's statehood - and the West is also responsible for this.

"This is partly due to the predecessors of Mrs. Baerbock, who not only interfered in the situation in the country, but also shaped Ukraine's domestic and foreign policy by hand," Zakharova claimed.

Ukraine negotiations: Cyprus expresses concerns about new EU sanctions package against Russia

Update from May 14, 5:12 p.m .:

The Cypriot government wants to support further EU sanctions against Russia, but does not implement any measures that represent “sanctions against an EU member state”.

That said the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiades, on Saturday on the Mediterranean island.

He did not name any specific measures that could be involved.

However, Cyprus, like Malta and Greece, had previously spoken out against a ban on the transport of Russian oil to third countries.

The three states fear that their shipping companies could be disadvantaged as a result.

Cyprus has "already expressed some concerns" about the EU's sixth sanctions package against Russia, said Anastasiades.

"What we said is that the sanctions have to be targeted." If the sanctions are aimed at an EU member state rather than the aggressor, action will be taken accordingly.

When asked whether Cyprus would then veto the sanctions, Anastasiades answered evasively.

"Something like that does not exist.

But it is possible that we will not implement some of the proposed measures (...).” Cyprus has a sizeable Russian minority, which grew during the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine negotiations: Lavrov threatens the West: the consequences will be “felt without exception”.

Update from May 14, 3:31 p.m .:

The Russian leadership has again criticized the actions of the West with terms from the Second World War.

"The collective West has declared total hybrid war on us and it is difficult to predict how long this will last, but it is clear that the consequences will be felt by everyone without exception," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to the Interfax news agency on Saturday at a meeting of the Kremlin's "Council for Foreign and Security Policy" in Moscow.

Russia has done everything possible to avoid a direct confrontation, but accept the challenge now, after all the country is used to sanctions, Lavrov explained.

He criticized a "stone-age outbreak of Russophobia" in the West.

Update from May 14, 1:20 p.m .:

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed irritation at statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about a possible NATO accession by Finland and Sweden.

Actually, every democratic country should be pleased that democracies with strong defense capabilities would make the joint alliance stronger, said the Green politician on Saturday after a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Weißenhaus on the Baltic Sea.

She would "very, very much support" the accession of Finland and Sweden.

Baerbock emphasized that it was not NATO that was pushing Finland and Sweden to join, but the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two countries are solid democracies that have lived in peace with all their neighbors for decades.

The possible NATO accession of the two Nordic countries was to be discussed at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the NATO countries in Berlin from late Saturday afternoon.

Erdogan had surprisingly expressed his negative opinion on the subject on Friday.

"We are currently monitoring developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we do not have a positive opinion on them," he said.

Scandinavian countries are almost "guesthouses for terrorist organizations" like the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK.

Ukraine negotiations: Finland and Sweden plan to join NATO – Russia backs down from nuclear weapons threat

Update from May 14, 11:40 a.m .:

 In the event of Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Russia wants to make its reaction dependent on the concrete military infrastructure of the alliance.

According to the Interfax agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said it was still too early to talk about a possible stationing of nuclear weapons.

The possible admission of the two states to NATO means "strategic changes" in the region.

But Russia will not react emotionally, but according to "a thorough analysis" of the new balance of power.

Former President Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Head of the National Security Council in Moscow, had previously threatened to station nuclear weapons in Russia's Baltic region.

Because of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the political leadership of Finland, which has long been neutral, now wants to join NATO quickly out of concerns for its own security.

Membership would double NATO's border with Russia in one fell swoop.

The northernmost country in the EU has a border with Russia that is more than 1,300 kilometers long.

Even the traditionally non-aligned Sweden could change course and push into NATO.

A decision should be made there soon.

Some observers claim they can see that Russian President Putin is unhealthy.

© Mikhail Metzel/dpa

The Kremlin had warned of the consequences for the security situation in the region should there be a NATO expansion.

Much depends on the bloc itself and what military infrastructure will be in place in Finland and Sweden, Grushko said.

If the military alliance deploys nuclear weapons on Russia's borders, Moscow will respond accordingly.

So far, NATO has committed itself not to change its nuclear policy, said Grushko.

At the same time, he said that Finland and Sweden themselves had no reason to accuse Russia of hostile intentions.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: delivery of heavy weapons to contribute to food security

Update from May 14, 11 a.m.:

Ukraine sees the delivery of heavy weapons from the West for the fight against Russia as a contribution to global food security.

"The key to food security in the world are weapons for Ukraine," said Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Twitter on Saturday.

Accordingly, the weapons are intended to help free up Ukrainian grain reserves for export, which have been blocked by Russia's war of aggression.

Ukraine is among the top wheat exporters but cannot export anything because it has lost control of the Black Sea and Azov Sea ports.

The Russian Navy controls the trade routes.

“It is important to understand the cause and effect of global processes.

Russia has endangered world food security by starting a war in Ukraine.

"The only way to restore order is to help us achieve victory." Weapons are needed for that.

Ukraine news.

According to British intelligence, Russia wanted to permanently control most of the country

Update from May 14, 10:15 a.m .:

According to British intelligence experts, Moscow wanted to bring a large part of Ukraine permanently under pro-Russian control with its war of aggression.

In addition, it is very likely that manipulated referendums should be held in the country on incorporation into the Russian Federation, the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Saturday.

So far, however, Russia has only installed a pro-Russian administration in the southern Ukrainian coastal city of Cherson.

This shows how the invasion is failing to meet Moscow's political goals. The administration in Cherson has announced that it will press ahead with annexation to Russia.

"Should Russia hold an accession referendum in Kherson, it would almost certainly manipulate the results to show a clear majority in favor of secession from Ukraine," the statement said.

However, the population will probably continue to express their opposition to the Russian occupation.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Zelenskyj adviser speaks of Putin's "fake"

Kyiv – According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's adviser, Russia's army and economy are on shaky ground in the escalating Ukraine conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's image of the "invincible second largest army in the world" has already turned out to be "fake", said Oleksiy Arestovych, according to the Unian agency.

The reality of the past few weeks has shown a real picture of the combat capability of the Russian army: "It threatened to dismantle NATO, but has already failed in two villages in the Sumy region (in north-eastern Ukraine)." In the negotiations for soldiers Meanwhile, in Mariupol, Turkey intervened.

Ukraine-Russia-News: Zelenskyj adviser predicts failure of negotiations

At the same time, adviser to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted what he believed to be the imminent collapse of the Russian economy in the summer.

"Any attempt to negotiate with the West will fail," said Arestovych.

This will make itself felt in July or August at the latest in the event of a possible mobilization.

He questioned whether the Russian economy could withstand this pressure.

"There can be no healthy economy in a country where everything else has rotted."