Putin comments on TV about western weapons - prolong war "only as long as possible"

Created: 06/07/2022, 09:45 am

By: Astrid Theil, Marius Epp, Bettina Menzel, Stephanie Munk

Putin commented on arms deliveries to Ukraine on TV – and was relaxed.

His Foreign Minister Lavrov had to cancel a trip to Serbia because of EU sanctions.

News ticker.

• Putin comments on TV about the Ukraine war:

  Weapons from the West only prolong the conflict

• Despite Putin's warning:

  Britain delivers long-range missiles to Ukraine

• Putin threatens the West:

  If weapons are delivered to Ukraine, Russia will attack new targets

• This

  news ticker on Ukraine-Russia negotiations and international reactions

  is continuously updated.

Update from June 6, 12:40 p.m .:

According to a media report, the traffic light coalition wants to enable around 70 Russian dissidents to stay in Germany permanently.

The Russian journalists critical of the Kremlin, who fled to Germany with a 90-day Schengen visa after the Russian attack on Ukraine, should be able to live and work in Germany permanently, reports

, citing government circles.

Your short-term visas should be converted to long-term visas.

The living costs of the dissidents should be covered by grants for the time being.

These should initially be valid for one year.

However, they could be extended if the dissidents have not found a job by the end of the year or are not yet able to make a living from self-employed work.

Ukraine negotiations: Putin comments on western weapons - prolong war "as long as possible"

Update June 6, 11:04 a.m.:

The United States and Great Britain are supplying multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine to defend against the Russian attack on the country.

On the outside, Russian President Putin is reacting indifferently to the new arms deliveries: the West is creating a "swirl" with the aim of "protracting the armed conflict for as long as possible," said Putin, according to the Russian news agency Tass am Sunday (June 5) on Russian TV.

reports about it

.

The fact that the United States is supplying multiple rocket launchers does not change the situation, since Ukraine had previously had missiles of this range, Putin apparently said.

Ukraine is only replenishing its stocks with Western deliveries.

A broadcast of Russian television on the monitor of a smartphone.

A televised speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin can be seen.

© Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa

Ukraine News: Lavrov has to cancel a trip abroad because of sanctions against Russia

Update from June 6, 9:44 a.m .:

The visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Belgrade planned for Monday and Tuesday (June 6/7) has burst: Serbia’s neighboring countries have refused “to allow Sergey Lavrov’s plane to fly over allow,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to Russian news agencies.

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"Like 1945": Putin is confident of victory - but the West puts the next damper on Russia

The talks of the Russian delegation in Belgrade were therefore canceled, the Russian news agency Interfax reported, citing a diplomatic source.

"Russian diplomacy has not yet learned to teleport," the source was quoted as saying.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was unable to travel to Serbia.

© Russian Foreign Ministry/Imago

According to the Serbian daily

, Serbia's neighboring countries Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro refused the plane of the Russian foreign minister an overflight.

Deputy Speaker of the Russian House of Lords Konstantin Kosachev condemned this as a move directed “against Russia as a state and Serbia as a state”.

He hopes for a joint and "extremely tough" reaction, which will not only be reflected in the form of diplomatic protests, but also in "concrete measures," Kosatchev wrote in the online service Telegram.

Lavrov originally wanted to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic and Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirye in Belgrade.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic had already referred to "logistical" difficulties regarding overflight rights on the route of the Russian chief diplomat on Sunday.

She described the situation surrounding Lavrov's visit as "extraordinarily complicated".

Serbia has condemned the Russian military action against Ukraine, but at the same time Belgrade does not want to break with its ally and refuses to join the EU sanctions against Russia.

Serbia recently extended a gas supply contract from Russia by three years.

Ukraine negotiations: Britain delivers long-range missiles - despite warning from Putin

Update from June 6, 8.45 a.m .:

Despite clear warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Great Britain is supporting Ukraine with the delivery of long-range missile systems.

The British Ministry of Defense said the delivery of the US-made Multiple Rocket Launcher Artillery System (MLRS) to Ukraine was closely coordinated with the US government.

The British Ministry of Defense emphasized that the planned delivery of the M270 multiple rocket launchers means "a significant boost to the capabilities of the Ukrainian army".

The weapon system can hit targets up to 80 kilometers away with precision-guided missiles.

Great Britain also wants to train Ukrainian soldiers in the use of the new weapon system.

On Sunday, Putin issued a warning to Western countries not to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles.

Otherwise, "we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our weapons (...) to hit objects that we have not hit so far," he said, according to Russian news agencies.

He did not provide any further details about potential targets.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace nonetheless spoke out in favor of further arms deliveries to Ukraine so that it could "win" the war against Russia.

"If Russia's tactics change, our support for Ukraine must change as well," said the UK defense secretary.

The promised multiple-barrel rocket launchers should improve the protection of Ukrainians "against the brutal use of long-range artillery that Putin's troops have used indiscriminately to flatten cities".

Ukraine negotiations: Austria makes proposal for Ukraine to join the EU

Update from June 5, 3:45 p.m .:

Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer made a proposal in connection with Ukraine’s application for EU membership.

He advocates an intermediate step between cooperation and Ukraine's full accession to the EU.

"We are united by the same goal, we all want a strong, independent and economically successful Ukraine," said Nehammer.

Ukraine is currently fighting for its political and territorial survival.

Therefore, the Russian war of aggression must be ended in the first place.

"In such a phase, rapid full accession to the Union cannot be an acute issue anyway." He therefore advocates a "European preparatory area" for approximation to the standards of the EU and a gradual strengthening of cooperation with the EU.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Pope Francis calls again for "real negotiations".

Update from June 5, 3:38 p.m

.: In view of the fighting in Ukraine that has been going on for a hundred days, Pope Francis has again called for “real negotiations”.

"Please do not plunge humanity into ruin," said the head of the Catholic Church on Sunday in front of 25,000 believers in Rome.

He appealed to "the leaders of the nations" to start "genuine negotiations for a ceasefire and a sustainable solution" in the conflict.

"The nightmare of war weighs on mankind," said Francis from the window of the Apostolic Palace.

“People fighting each other, killing each other, people being . . . driven from their homes.” As with previous statements on the war in Ukraine, the Pope did not name either Russia or President Vladimir Putin as aggressors.

According to the Vatican, he wants to keep options open for a mediator role.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: According to "El País", Spain wants to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Update from June 5, 2:30 p.m .:

Spain plans to deliver German Leopard 2 A4 battle tanks and anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine.

This was reported by the newspaper

.

The Leopard tanks are mothballed tanks that would first have to be prepared for use.

The newspaper relies on information from the Ministry of Defense when reporting.

The training of Ukrainian soldiers on the tanks should first take place in Lithuania and later in Spain. 

It would be the first time that Ukraine would receive modern Western tanks in the war against Russian forces.

In Germany, politicians from the ruling SPD party have so far emphasized that there is an informal agreement between the NATO countries not to supply such weapons.

According to the newspaper

, around 40 out of 108 Leopard tanks could be made operational again.

Spain bought them used from Germany in 1995.

According to the newspaper report, Spain is also preparing to deliver a battery of surface-to-air missiles

of the type Shorad Aspide from the manufacturer MBDA.

These have already been decommissioned by the Spanish armed forces and replaced by newer systems.

Putin threatens: New targets will be fired upon if Ukraine receives long-range missiles

Update from June 5, 11:30 a.m .:

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned against the delivery of long-range missiles to Ukraine in the Ukraine war.

In this case, the Russian armed forces would target new targets, Putin said on Sunday, according to Russian news agencies.

At the moment, Western arms deliveries are only prolonging the conflict, Putin warned.

If long-range missiles are delivered to Ukraine, "then we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our weapons (...) to hit objects that we have not hit so far," the agencies quoted the Russian head of state as saying.

He did not specify what potential targets he means by that.

Ukraine war and grain shortages: President of the African Union also travels to Kyiv

Update from June 5, 10:15 a.m .:

The President of the African Union (AU), Senegal’s head of state Macky Sall, now wants to travel to Kiev after his talks with Waldimir Putin about the global supply bottlenecks.

"Yes, I will also travel to Kyiv," Sall told journalists upon his arrival at the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) summit in Accra.

This is "important to contribute to a return to peace".

He did not give any details about his planned visit.

He was received by Putin in Sochi on Friday (June 3).

At the meeting, the AU chief is said to have made it clear with regard to the fighting in Ukraine that "the crisis and the sanctions are causing serious problems for economically weak countries such as those in Africa".

After the meeting, Sall expressed "very reassured and happy about our exchange" with the Russian leader.

African countries get more than half of their grain imports from Ukraine and Russia.

There are currently tens of millions of tons of grain in Ukrainian ports that cannot be exported because of the conflict with Russia.

Russia is also one of the most important grain producers in the world.

Ukraine: Politicians criticize Macron's warning not to humiliate Putin

Update from June 5, 10 a.m.:

French President Emmanuel Macron's warning not to humiliate Russia was sharply criticized by Ukrainian diplomats and politicians.

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Russia is already humiliating itself. "We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place," he said on Twitter. 

The Ukrainian President Zelenskyy also referred to Macron's warning in his evening video address.

He stressed that there was one person in Moscow who could stop the terrible consequences of the war with a short order.

"But the fact that this order still does not exist is obviously a humiliation for the whole world." 

War in Ukraine: Selenskyj calls for Russia's expulsion from UNESCO

Update from June 5, 9:30 a.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has accused Russia of massive destruction of cultural monuments, churches and other religious sites.

Therefore he calls for Russia to be excluded from UNESCO, the cultural and educational organization of the United Nations.

Russia is a "terrorist state" that is destroying Ukraine's historical heritage.

This was announced by Selenskyj in a video speech.

According to Zelenky, a total of 113 churches have already been destroyed and damaged.

Ukraine accuses Russia, among other things, of shooting at and setting fire to a large wooden church in Svyatohirsk.

Russian forces deny the allegation, accusing Ukrainian forces of damaging the church itself.

The authorities announced at the end of March that the arch monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary had been partially destroyed.

It is one of the holiest monasteries in Russian Orthodoxy.

Fallen soldiers: Kyiv and Moscow are said to have handed over 160 bodies each

Update from June 4, 6:03 p.m .:

According to authorities in Kiev, Ukraine and Russia handed over the bodies of 160 soldiers to the other side.

The exchange took place on June 2 along the front line in the Zaporizhia region, the Ukrainian Ministry for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories said in Kyiv on Saturday.

Ukraine has repeatedly called on Russia to accept the dead soldiers and accused the leadership in Moscow of treating its own armed forces like "cannon fodder" and not caring about a dignified burial.

Ukrainian secret services and the General Staff of the Armed Forces as well as other security structures were involved in the exchange, it said.

According to Ukrainian information, negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war are still ongoing on both sides.

Thousands of Ukrainian fighters are in Russian violence, including the defenders of Mariupol, who held the fort there at the Azovstal steelworks until Kyiv ceded the city in May.

Ukraine war: US President Biden on possible concessions by Ukraine in peace talks

Update from June 4, 4:56 p.m

.: US President Joe Biden commented for the first time on possible concessions by Ukraine in peace negotiations.

“From the beginning I said – and not everyone agreed with me – that I don't say anything about Ukraine without Ukraine.

It's their territory.

I'm not going to tell them what to do and what not to do," Biden said loudly -

on Saturday.

He then added: "But it seems to me that at some point there has to be a negotiated settlement.

And I don't know what that brings.

I don't think anyone knows at this point." 

Russia/Ukraine: Macron does not want to humiliate Putin

Update from June 4, 4:16 p.m

.: French President Emmanuel Macron is in favor of not humiliating Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with several French newspapers, including

, he said he had told Putin that he had made a historic mistake.

Putin is isolated and it is not easy to find a way out of isolation.

France's re-elected President Emmanuel Macron © IMAGO/Nicolas Economou

"We must not humiliate Russia so that when the fighting ends one day, we can still find a diplomatic way out." He is convinced that France can play a mediating role.

Ukraine: Dispute between Russia and the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka

Update from June 4, 12:45 p.m

.: Dispute between Russia and the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka: On Thursday, a

Russian Aeroflot machine was confiscated by order of the commercial court in Colombo.

Flight SU289 with 191 passengers and 13 crew members on board was stopped shortly before returning to Moscow.

Sri Lanka's largest airport, Bandaranaike, denied on Saturday that the government in Colombo had ordered the confiscation of the Airbus A330.

The matter was "purely commercial" and there was no reason for state interference, the airport administration said.

Sri Lanka's top envoy in Moscow was summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, where a "strong protest" was sent to him, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.

It was initially unclear whether the confiscation of the SU289 was related to the sanctions against Russia because of the Ukraine war.

The background is said to be a dispute with an Irish airline, for which there is to be a hearing on Wednesday.

Aeroflot suspended all international flights in March after western countries imposed massive sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Flights to Colombo resumed in April.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an immediate end to the violence

Update from June 4, 11:01 a.m

.: UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an immediate end to the violence 100 days after the start of the Ukraine war.

In a statement on Friday, he stressed that a solution to the conflict would require negotiations and dialogue.

The United Nations would support any such effort.

"The sooner the parties make genuine efforts to end this war, the better for Ukraine, Russia and the world," Guterres wrote.

Guterres called for unhindered access for humanitarian workers to all those in need.

In addition, civilians trapped in combat zones should be evacuated, civilians should be protected and human rights should be respected in line with international norms, Guterres said.

During the visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on April 28, 2022, Russia attacked Kyiv.

© AFP PHOTO/UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

"The conflict has already claimed thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions of people, resulted in unacceptable human rights abuses and unleashed a three-dimensional global crisis - food, energy and financial - affecting the most vulnerable people, countries and economies." , it said in its statement.

Ukraine: Negotiations only if Russia can no longer dictate terms

Update from June 4, 7:20 a.m.:

The Ukrainian presidential administration predicts that the Russian war of aggression can last up to six months.

"It can take another two to six months," said the Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak in an interview with the opposition Russian online portal "Medusa" on Friday evening (June 3), with a view to the possible duration of the war.

In the end it depends on how the mood in the societies of Europe, Ukraine and Russia changes.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak regularly posts videos on Twitter about the situation in the Ukraine war.

© Screenshot/Twitter

There will only be negotiations when the situation on the battlefield changes and Russia no longer feels that it can dictate the terms, Podoljak said.

He once again warned against territorial concessions to Russia.

That won't end the war.

"Because it is fundamental for the Russian Federation - and Mr. (Vladimir) Putin said this several times - that the mere existence of Ukrainian statehood is harmful." The Russian advance is therefore less aimed at conquering specific areas than at destroying Ukraine per se.

Ukraine: Resumption of negotiations dependent on arms deliveries?

Update from June 3, 10:57 p.m

.: On Friday evening, Ukraine made the resumption of negotiations with Russia – at least indirectly – dependent on further western arms deliveries.

"We will talk to Russia again when we have strengthened our negotiating position," according to the

, Ukraine's chief negotiator, David Arakhamia, reportedly said.

As soon as more of the promised weapons have arrived from the West, Ukraine could strengthen its negotiating position again.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Bundestag votes for special assets

First report from June 3, 9:41 p.m

.: Moscow – Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not hesitate for long after the start of the Ukraine war and quickly announced a Bundeswehr subsidy of 100 billion euros.

The Bundestag has now voted in favor of this special fund with a large majority.

A large majority of MPs also voted in favor of the necessary constitutional amendment to get the package off the ground.

Russia reacted on Friday with criticism of the German plans.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Putin spokeswoman compares federal government with Nazi regime

Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced a "rearmament" of Germany.

"We take the plans as further confirmation that Berlin is on the way to rearmament again," she said on behalf of the Kremlin, adding: "We know only too well how this can end."

Maria Zakharova is a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry.

© IMAGO/Russian Foreign Ministry Press p

Russia is probably alluding to Nazi Germany's rearmament program in the course of Adolf Hitler's seizure of power.

Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) said during the Bundestag vote: "The money is well invested in peace and security in our country."

With the 100 billion euros, the equipment of the troops is to be modernized.

Plans include the acquisition of modern F-35 fighter jets, new corvettes for the Navy and successors to the Marder infantry fighting vehicle and the Fuchs troop carrier.

More detailed information on the special fund and its distribution can be found here.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Putin wants to enable grain exports to Africa

Vladimir Putin met with African Union (AU) officials on Friday to discuss the looming global food crisis.

Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters in the world.

According to the AU, the Russian President is ready to allow the export of grain from Ukraine to Africa.

"We leave here very reassured and happy about our exchange," said AU President Macky Sall, who is also President of Senegal.

In fact, the Russian Navy is blockading the Ukrainian ports.

However, Putin does not see himself as responsible for the grain blockade.

He said the crisis began before the Ukraine war.