Lavrov reports attention to China - Russia ready to resume negotiations

Created: 05/24/2022, 17:53

The EU is struggling for an oil embargo against Russia.

The country now wants to increasingly turn to China as a trading partner.

The news ticker on diplomacy in the Ukraine war.

• Escalated Ukraine conflict: Russia agrees to continue negotiations with Ukraine.

• Grain blockade by Russia: Denmark now supplies Ukriane with anti-ship missiles.

• EU oil embargo against Russia: Habeck sees deal approaching

Update from May 24, 10

a.m.: According to its chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine.

Negotiations have been stagnating for around two months, with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other for it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been named one of the 100 most influential people of 2022 by Time Magazine.

The German Federal Minister of Economics Habeck sees an oil embargo against Russia "within reach".

There are only a few states that are reporting problems.

You can read all the latest developments on diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine war in the current news ticker.

Update from May 24, 7:15 a.m .:

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, sanctions and the West’s “dictatorial position” towards Russia are accelerating the development of his country’s economic relations with China.

Moscow will only rely on itself and on those states that "have proven their reliability," Lavrov said, according to the Ria Novosti and TASS agencies.

Russia's future lies in the Eurasia region.

China, India and Iran are important partners here.

The peace negotiations with Ukraine are meanwhile on hold.

However, there is still no evidence that China is really pouncing on Russian oil on a large scale – unlike India, for example.

China is currently suffering from a violent omicron wave, many cities are in lockdown, supply chains are suffering from the zero-Covid policy.

A huge ship jam has already formed in front of the port of sealed off Shanghai, in which tankers with oil from Russia or Venezuela are said to be in the roadstead.

It is therefore still unclear whether China will buy oil from Russia on a large scale if the economy is to be stimulated.

Because of the sanctions against Russia due to the Ukraine war, Lavrov wants to turn to China.

© picture alliance/dpa/Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/AP |

Uncredited

"Time Magazine" lists Zelenskyj among the 100 most influential people

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been named one of the 100 most influential people of 2022 by Time magazine.

"In President Zelenskyy, the people of Ukraine have a leader worthy of their bravery and resilience, while citizens across the country...fight for their homes and freedom," wrote US President Joe Biden.

In the Russian war against his country, Zelenskyy "left his mark on history".

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valery Saluschnyj, also made it onto the list published on Monday, which also includes Putin.

Oil embargo against Russia: Habeck speaks of "within reach"

Federal Minister of Economics Habeck sees an oil embargo against Russia "within reach".

There are only a few states that are reporting problems - especially Hungary, said the Vice Chancellor on Monday in the ZDF "Heute Journal".

You can be considerate, but then "something has to happen" in Hungary too.

The EU Commission has proposed to end imports of Russian crude oil in six months.

As a compromise, she wants to give Hungary more time.

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Update from May 23, 11:41 p.m .:

After three months of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has demanded modern anti-missile weapons and combat aircraft from the West against Russian attacks.

Many people "would not have died if we had received all the weapons we ask for," Zelenskyy said in a new video message on Monday evening.

Since the war began on February 24, his country has been the target of 3,000 airstrikes and nearly 1,500 rocket attacks.

The vast majority of attacks were aimed at civilian objects.

All of Ukraine's partners agree that his country's fight against Russia serves to "protect the common values ​​of all countries in the free world," Zelenskyy said.

That is why his country has a right to arms assistance.

The situation remains difficult in eastern Ukraine, where the Russian army has concentrated its activities.

He does not expect that Russia will give up the occupied territories in the Kharkiv region and other regions.

"The coming weeks of war will be difficult," he added.

Update from May 23, 10:44 p.m .:

Russia is apparently examining an Italian peace plan that should lead to the end of the Ukraine conflict.

This is reported by

, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko.

"We received it recently and are reviewing it," he is quoted as saying.

Accordingly, the plan was not discussed further between Russia and Italy.

Russia would like to comment on this at a later date, it said.

Denmark supplies Ukraine with anti-ship missiles against Russian port blockade

Update from May 23, 10:26 p.m .:

Russia has been blocking Ukraine’s ports in the Black Sea for months.

As a result, grain deliveries required worldwide cannot be delivered.

Now Denmark is apparently delivering Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Ukraine.

This is reported, among other things, by CNN, citing US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The US missiles are intended to break the blockade.

The Danish delivery is therefore part of new aid packages that several countries had promised on Monday.

The Harpoon missiles have a range of up to 300 kilometers.

Ukraine gets new aid from the West for war with Russia

Update from May 23, 8:42 p.m

.: During a video call by the international contact group Ukraine, it was decided that Ukraine should receive further military support.

The contact group, which has existed since the end of April, was joined by Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia and Ireland - at a meeting in Ramstein there were still 40 countries.

47 countries have already taken part in today's switch.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced in Washington on Monday that Italy, Greece and Poland, for example, want to deliver artillery systems, while Denmark has promised more missiles.

Other states announced support for the training of the armed forces.

Ukraine/international diplomacy: Habeck sees oil embargo deal approaching - and hands out against "Putin partner".

Update from May 23, 7:39 p.m

.: Robert Habeck (Greens) commented on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on the EU’s oil embargo against Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war and handed out Hungary against brakemen.

He told CNN that he believed a joint deal could be worked out in a matter of days.

"I expect everyone - including Hungary - to work to find a solution.

Nobody can say, ok, we'll make an exception and then sit back and work on the partnership with Putin.”

In addition, Habeck said a global recession is not inevitable.

"Nothing is inevitable, we are human beings and we can change the course of history." Asked about Germany's dependence on Russian gas, the vice chancellor said German industry would collapse without Russian gas.

Germany continues to pay for the gas in euros, not in rubles - as Russia is currently demanding.

Ukraine urges international community to ensure safe passage for grain ships

Update May 23, 6:26 p.m

.: Ukraine is calling on the international community to allow safe passage for Ukrainian ships amid the widening global food crisis.

In the Ukraine war, safe conduct must be granted for grain exports, especially from Odessa.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Swyrydenko told the BBC: "It would take us five, six, seven years to transport all the grain by road or rail.

That's why it's so important for us now to get the ports free."

Currently, Russia is blocking the export of grain from ports in southern Ukraine.

In East Africa and the Middle East, the already existing emergencies to supply the population with food are therefore intensifying.

Russian diplomat resigns: Ukraine war is a crime against the Russian and Ukrainian people

Update from May 23, 5:18 p.m

.: With the words “enough is enough”, a senior Russian diplomat at the UN headquarters in Geneva resigned from his post.

"In the Russian Foreign Ministry, disinformation and propaganda have reached levels reminiscent of the Soviet era of the 1930s," he wrote on the LinkedIn social network on Monday.

He was alluding to the time of the dictator Joseph Stalin.

"It's about warmongering, lies and hatred" - no longer about diplomacy, he wrote.

He sharply condemned the Ukraine war: Russia's attack was a crime against the Ukrainian and Russian people.

He criticized that those who planned this war wanted to stay in power forever, live in tacky palaces and sail on yachts.

"For this they are ready to sacrifice as many lives as necessary."

Russia U-turn on Azov prisoner exchange: Putin spokesman now dismisses

Update from May 23, 4:55 p.m .:

Russia does not want to exchange the Ukrainian Mariupol fighters for the pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk.

, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov,

confirmed this on Monday.

The oligarch Medvedchuk is a civilian, which means he cannot be exchanged for the Ukrainian soldiers captured in Mariupol, the statement said.

Medvedchuk was arrested by Ukrainian troops in April.

He is considered Putin's closest ally in Ukraine.

Ukraine conflict: EU struggles over oil embargo against Russia - Hungary demands "enormous sum of money"

Update from May 23, 3:30 p.m .:

In the struggle for an EU oil embargo against Russia, Hungary continues to put pressure on its European partners.

At a ministerial meeting in Brussels ahead of a week's EU summit, Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga said Monday her country needs "an enormous amount of money" to invest in alternatives to Russian oil.

Hungary is "in ongoing negotiations with the EU Commission," Varga said.

So far, however, there is no suitable plan.

"We are waiting for a new proposal and then we can make progress," she stressed.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto had previously put the money required at "15 to 18 billion euros" and asked the EU Commission for a proposal for financing from EU funds.

In Brussels, this was met with astonishment.

The Hungarian demand was "exaggerated," it said.

Ukraine conflict: 21-year-old soldier found guilty in first Ukrainian war crimes trial

Update from May 23, 12:13 p.m

.: It is the first Ukrainian war crimes trial since the Russian invasion on February 24.

A verdict has now been made in Kyiv: The accused 21-year-old must be sentenced to life imprisonment.

After the man's confession, the court found it proven that the Russian tanker shot a 62-year-old Ukrainian civilian during the battle.

War diplomacy: Kyiv plans to confiscate money from Russia 'supporters'

Update from May 23, 10:49 a.m

.: Ukraine wants to be able to confiscate the assets of supporters of the Russian invasion in the future.

, Volodymyr Zelenskyy

signed a corresponding law.

The portal quoted the Ukrainian president as saying that the budget of Ukraine should also be helped in this way.

As early as May 14, Zelenskyi passed a law according to which parties supporting Russia's war of aggression can be banned.

For example, the ban is intended to hit parties that justify or deny Russia's war against Ukraine.

As early as March, Ukrainian authorities halted the activities of nearly a dozen parties allegedly linked to Russia.

Diplomacy in the Ukraine war: Baltic states stop importing Russian electricity

Update from May 23, 7:01 a.m

.: The Baltic states have stopped importing electricity from Russia because of the Ukraine war.

"This is an important step on our way to energy independence," Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys told AFP.

"By refusing to import Russian energy resources, we are refusing to finance the aggressor," the minister said.

Russian electricity accounted for 17 percent of Lithuania's electricity imports last year.

Latvia imported its last Russian electricity in early May, while Lithuania and Estonia stopped purchasing electricity on Sunday.

The Baltic States had been working for years to gain energy independence from Moscow.

To do this, they expanded domestic power generation on the one hand and strengthened connections to Scandinavia on the other.

During Ukraine war: Putin meets Lukashenko in Sochi 

Update from May 23, 6:08 a.m

.: Vladimir Putin meets Alexander Lukashenko: Russia's President wants to meet the Belarusian ruler in Sochi this Monday.

The central topic is the integration cooperation between the two countries in a union state, the Interfax agency said at night.

Since the controversial presidential election in 2020, in which Lukashenko declared himself the winner without recognition from the West, Minsk has become increasingly dependent on Moscow.

Lukashenko emphasizes that Belarus will remain independent.

However, a union state between the two countries, which had only existed on paper for a long time, is increasingly taking shape.

International political observers consider the possibility of Belarus joining Russia to be quite real.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Moscow wants to continue talks with Kyiv

Update from May 22, 9:35 p.m .:

According to its chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine.

"For our part, we are ready to continue the dialogue," Medinsky said in an interview with Belarusian state television on Sunday.

The ball is in the field of Ukraine, at whose instigation the talks were suspended.

"Russia has never refused negotiations," Medinsky said.

Ukraine negotiations: Poland Andrzej Duda delivers a speech in the Ukrainian parliament

Update from May 22, 1:08 p.m

.: President of Poland Andrzej Duda gave a speech in the Ukrainian parliament - as the first foreign head of state since the start of the Ukraine war on February 24.

Nobody can disturb Polish-Ukrainian unity, said Duda in his speech, which Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko published live on Facebook.

The parliamentarians rose again and again to applaud the guest from Poland.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also present.

Duda's solidarity visit was surprisingly announced in the morning.

The 50-year-old traveled to Ukraine for the second time since the outbreak of war.

Among other things, Duda is committed to ensuring that the neighboring country is granted EU candidate status as quickly as possible.

Almost 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland since the Russian war of aggression began on February 24.

Poland has granted by far the largest number of the approximately 6.5 million refugees from Ukraine.

Around 44 million people lived in Ukraine before the start of the war.

Diplomacy in the Ukraine war: According to a report, Lithuania stops energy imports from Russia

Update from May 22, 12:18 p.m

.: Lithuania stops its energy imports from Russia.

The

reports this and tweets that the country would be the first Baltic state to take this step.

Update from May 22, 11:27 a.m

.: Russia has imposed entry bans on other US citizens.

The well- known

calls this a "largely symbolic step" and went through the expanded list of 963 people on Saturday (May 21).

The US newspaper noticed that it included, for example, US President Joe Biden, his vicar Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken - but not ex-US President Donald Trump.

The

also did not find employees of the conservative US broadcaster Fox News on the list.

The channel has long been said to be close to Trump.

However, representatives of other US media such as the

or CNN have now been sanctioned by Moscow.

Critics had accused the right-wing populist Trump of being too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his tenure.

The entry ban list is a reaction by the Kremlin to the fact that Washington had imposed entry bans because of the Ukraine war.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: oligarch and Putin friend against Azov fighters?

First report

: Moscow – He is a Russian oligarch and is considered a Putin confidante: Viktor

Medvedchuk.

A possible exchange of Medvechuk for captured Ukrainian fighters from the Azov regiment is now under discussion.

"We will study the issue," Russian foreign policy chief and negotiator Leonid Slutsky said on May 21.

This is reported by the Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies.

The Ukrainian politician and entrepreneur Medvedchuk, who is one of the richest people in the country, was accused of high treason in Ukraine last year and placed under house arrest.

However, shortly after the start of the Ukraine war on February 24, he went into hiding before being arrested in mid-April.

Weeks ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested exchanging Medvedchuk for Ukrainian prisoners.

Ukraine negotiations: Putin ally Medvechuk against Azov fighters?

On Friday (May 20), Moscow reported the “complete liberation” of the Azov steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.

The last soldiers in the industrial complex, including members of the Azov regiment, surrendered, the Russian army said.

They had holed up in the bunkers for weeks and defended the port city against the Russian occupiers.

The Azov regiment is described by Moscow as "neo-Nazi".

Next Thursday, Russia's highest court is due to consider an application to classify the regiment as a "terrorist organization," which could make it more difficult to exchange these prisoners.

After the capture of Mariupol, however, several politicians in Russia also spoke out against a prisoner exchange and called for the Mariupol fighters to be brought to justice.

Slutski later said the same thing, partially correcting his statement.

He announced via Telegram that the Azov fighters would have to be brought to justice in any case.