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Lukashenko threatens the West – Pope wants to travel to Ukraine and Russia quickly

2022-07-06T03:01:11.142Z


Lukashenko threatens the West – Pope wants to travel to Ukraine and Russia quickly Created: 07/06/2022, 04:49 am By: Bettina Menzel, Bedrettin Bölükbasi, Felix Durach The Belarusian ruler accuses Ukraine of rocket attacks on his country - and threatens the West with attacks on capitals. The news ticker. Lukashenko threatens that if Western states attack Belarus, they will respond with an attac


Lukashenko threatens the West – Pope wants to travel to Ukraine and Russia quickly

Created: 07/06/2022, 04:49 am

By: Bettina Menzel, Bedrettin Bölükbasi, Felix Durach

The Belarusian ruler accuses Ukraine of rocket attacks on his country - and threatens the West with attacks on capitals.

The news ticker.

  • Lukashenko

    threatens

    that if

    Western states attack Belarus, they will respond with an attack on the capitals.

  • Putin

    on

    sanctions

    : The Russian President expects the penalties imposed by the West to speed up unification with Belarus.

  • EU accession

    of

    Ukraine

    : The flag of the EU was brought into the Ukrainian parliament.

  • This

    news ticker

    about the

    Ukraine war

    negotiations has ended.

    To the new ticker.

Update from July 4th, 10:52 am

: July 4th is the national holiday of the USA.

It commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia.

But Russian President Valdimir Putin will not congratulate his counterpart Joe Biden this year.

Vladimir Putin will not congratulate US President Joe Biden on Independence Day this year.

© Alexander Zemlianichenko/dpa

"No, no congratulatory telegram will be sent this year," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to the Interfax agency.

"This is because this year has come to the culmination of unfriendly policies by the United States towards our country." Therefore, it can hardly be considered appropriate to send such a congratulatory message under the circumstances.

Ukraine war: Pope wants to travel to Moscow and Kyiv

Update from July 4, 11:06 a.m .:

Pope Francis apparently wants to visit the capitals of both parties in the Ukraine war.

This is reported by the Reuters news agency.

Accordingly, in an exclusive interview at the Vatican, the Pope said that he would travel to Canada later this month.

After that, he hopes to be able to travel to Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible.

Pope Francis apparently intends to travel to Moscow and Kyiv.

© Vatican Media / Imago Images

G20 summit in Indonesia: Ukraine makes participation dependent on the war situation

Update from July 4, 9:25 a.m

.: Ukraine is making its participation in the G20 summit in Indonesia in November dependent on the situation in the country and on wartime opponents Russia.

"Our participation depends on whether the Russian Federation will be there," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Kiev on Sunday, according to the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

"I have told the President of Indonesia (Joko Widodo) that we are grateful for the invitation, but we have a security situation."

Zelenskyy said he had doubts that many countries would take part in the summit if Russian representatives went there.

If there were even more violence by Russian soldiers against Ukrainian civilians, such as the murder of residents in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, Russia would have to reckon with “complete isolation”.

It is still unclear whether President Vladimir Putin, who was also invited, will be there or connected online.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes his country's participation in the G20 summit dependent on the course of the war (photo from July 1, 2022) © Javad Parsa/imago

Threat from Russia: Embassy in Sofia could be completely closed

Update from July 3, 5:17 p.m

.: Russia is bringing back 70 diplomats and other employees of its representations in Bulgaria who were expelled from the EU country.

Together with their families, the Russians left the capital Sofia on Sunday in two special planes.

They were declared "undesirable persons" by the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Russia is therefore threatening to completely close its embassy in Sofia.

That would be unique within the EU.

Update from July 3, 3:01 p.m .:

Russia has accused the West of preventing peace negotiations with Ukraine and thus prolonging the war.

"Now is the moment when Western countries are doing everything they can to continue the war," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on state television on Sunday.

Under US leadership, the West is allowing Ukrainians "not to think about, talk about, or discuss peace."

In doing so, Peskov was reacting to statements by Western politicians that they did not want to press Ukraine into negotiations.

Dmitri Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accuses the West of warmongering.

(Archive photo) © Alexei Nikolsky/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa

Nevertheless, the moment for negotiations will come.

For peace, however, Ukraine must accept Russian demands, said Peskov.

Putin has named the recognition of the illegally annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea as Russian territory and the cession of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as war goals.

In addition, it is about the "denazification" and "demilitarization" of Ukraine and its renunciation of NATO membership.

Lugano Conference: plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine

Update from July 3, 11:07 a.m .:

Delegations from almost 40 countries will discuss the reconstruction of Ukraine on Monday and Tuesday (July 4 and 5) in Lugano, Switzerland.

At the conference, a kind of Marshall Plan, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SDP) has already endorsed, is to be drafted for the war-torn country.

During the conference, the government in Kyiv will have the opportunity to present its reconstruction plans and to discuss them with its allies.

At the end of the conference, a joint declaration is to be adopted.

Originally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was supposed to travel to Lugano and chair the conference alongside his Swiss colleague Ignazio Cassis.

Because of the war, Zelenskyy will only take part in the deliberations virtually.

He will be represented in Lugano by Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, who will be accompanied, among others, by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and other ministers and several MPs.

Ukraine-News: Lukashenko threatens the West

Update from July 2, 10:05 p.m .:

More than four months after the start of the war in Ukraine, the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who is loyal to Russia, threatened the West.

If there is an attack on Belarus, his country will react immediately, Lukashenko said on Saturday, according to the state news agency Belta, in a speech on the country's upcoming Independence Day.

"Less than a month ago I gave orders to the armed forces units to target what can now be called decision centers in their capitals," said the 67-year-old.

He didn't explain exactly what he meant by that.

He added: "Don't touch us - and we won't touch you." Despite the fact that Russia itself attacked Ukraine, Moscow and its ally Minsk have repeatedly presented themselves as victims of supposedly hostile Western and NATO policies in particular. Belarus previously accused Ukraine of a missile attack.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, there has been a fear that Belarus could officially join the war on Russia's side. 

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko (right) has threatened the West with retaliation if his country is attacked.

© Ramil Sitdikov/imago-images

Lukashenko accuses Ukraine of rocket attacks on Belarus: "We are being provoked"

Update from July 2, 7:58 p.m .:

Amid speculation about Minsk’s increasing involvement in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko accused Ukraine of rocket attacks on his country.

“We are provoked.

About three days ago, maybe more, an attempt was made to attack military targets in Belarus from Ukraine," Lukashenko said on Saturday, according to the state news agency Belta.

"Thank God our air defense systems intercepted all missiles fired by Ukrainian troops," Lukashenko said.

"As I said more than a year ago, we have no intention of fighting in Ukraine," he added.

After the Kremlin's offensive against Ukraine began on February 24, Belarus served as a base for Russian forces.

From there they tried to take the capital Kyiv before retreating at the end of March due to Ukrainian resistance.

In view of massive Western sanctions, the government in Minsk is heavily dependent on Russia, both militarily and economically.

Last week, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin promised Lukashenko the delivery of nuclear-capable missile systems "in the coming months".

Belarus' ruler Alexander Lukashenko meets Vladimir Putin.

(Archive image) © Mikhail Metzel/dpa

Ukraine-News: Ukrainian presidential adviser observed changes in Russia's warfare

Update from July 2, 12:45 p.m .:

A good four months after the start of the Russian war of aggression, the Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak sees a change in the Russian army’s warfare.

"It's a new tactic by Russia: attacking neighborhoods and putting pressure on Western political elites to force Ukraine to sit at the negotiating table," Podoliak said, according to reports from various media outlets in Kyiv.

Moscow has no regard for how the world reacts to "inhumane attacks" with cruise missiles on residential areas.

But this tactic will not work.

Russia is not fighting to gain territorial gains, but to destroy Ukraine and create a new security architecture in Europe, said Presidential Advisor Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He doesn't understand "why there are still influential politicians in the West who believe that you can talk to Russia.

This is nonsense.” Moscow's tactic is to scare the world into turning its back on the war in Ukraine, saying: “Do whatever they want.

The main thing is that this horror does not continue, lest we see it in the pages of our newspapers or on television every day.” 

Ukraine-News: Deliberations on the end of the war - Meeting on the reconstruction of Ukraine

Update from July 2, 9:30 a.m

.: The Ukraine war continues.

While the Snake Island comes into focus, world politics deals with the time after a possible end of the war.

Delegations from almost 40 countries will discuss the reconstruction of Ukraine on Monday and Tuesday in Lugano, Switzerland.

At the conference, a kind of Marshall plan for the war-torn country is to be drafted.

Planning for the conference had already started before the war began.

The meeting was originally intended to discuss reforms and the fight against corruption in Ukraine.

But the Russian invasion has changed the agenda: the conference in Kyiv now gives the government the opportunity to present its reconstruction plan and to discuss with its allies how the enormous challenges can best be met.

US weapons for Ukraine: Biden government sends air defense systems and ammunition

Update from July 1, 10:45 p.m .:

The USA assures Ukraine of further arms deliveries.

According to the US Department of Defense, the scope of the deliveries is 820 million dollars (786 million euros).

The delivery includes two Nasams air defense systems, Himars multiple rocket launcher ammunition and four anti-artillery radars, the US Department of Defense announced on Friday.

The Nasams air defense systems are manufactured by the US company Raytheon and the Norwegian Kongsberg Group and are capable of firing short- and medium-range surface-to-air missiles.

They can be used against aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.

It is already the 14th armament package with which Washington is supporting Kyiv in the fight against Russia.

The new package increases US commitments to arms deliveries to $6.9 billion since the start of the war.

The US is again supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Among other things, ammunition for the multiple rocket launcher Himars (archive image).

© dpa

Ambassador calls for closure of Russian embassy in Bulgaria

Update from July 1, 6:25 p.m .:

Russia is probably considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.

The Russian ambassador to the Bulgarian capital, Eleonora Mitrofanova, said on Friday that she would "immediately" ask the Russian government to close the country's representation in Sofia.

The step would inevitably result in the closure of the Bulgarian representation in Moscow.

Mitrofanova is reacting to Bulgaria's decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Pankow is responsible for a possible embassy closure, the ambassador explained.

Petkov said Tuesday that Russian diplomats had been "identified as working against our interests."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that the proposal would be reviewed and "if necessary" submitted to President Vladimir Putin.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Petkov accused Mitrofanova of wanting to "frighten the Bulgarian people".

Diplomats should not be allowed to issue ultimatums to the Bulgarian state.

"I clearly said that diplomatic relations should continue," he told reporters.

Ukraine-News: Erdogan offers Turkish support for grain exports

Update from July 1, 2 p.m.:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again emphasized Turkey’s willingness to help with Ukrainian grain exports.

Turkey is ready to take grain from Ukraine and ship it to countries currently struggling with supply problems, Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

Turkey offers itself as a mediator in the Ukraine war.

"About 20 of our ships are there right now and ready to set off from there," Erdogan said.

However, one must first hold talks with Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.

Putin on sanctions - "accelerates unification with Belarus"

Update from July 1, 12:20 p.m .:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again commented on the Western sanctions as a result of the attack on Ukraine, as reported by the Russian state agency

Tass

.

The "unprecedented political pressure" and sanctions would support the "unification" of Belarus and Russia.

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko is considered a close ally of the Kremlin.

After all, together with Belarus, it is easier to minimize the damage caused by the "illegal" sanctions, according to Putin.

EU accession of Ukraine - European flag now also in the Ukrainian parliament

Update from July 1, 10:15 am:

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave a speech in the Ukrainian Parliament.

Great applause erupted there as the EU flag was placed next to the Ukrainian flag.

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas shared these moments on Twitter.

The EU flag will remain in the Ukrainian parliament.

In her speech, von der Leyen pledged support for Ukraine on its way to the EU.

"Ukraine is a candidate country - something that was almost unthinkable five months ago," the EU Commission President was quoted as saying by the British newspaper

The Guardian

.

Although Ukraine still has a long way to go, the EU will “stand by the country every step of the way”.

Hard work is required for the next steps, says von der Leyen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, stressed on Telegram that Ukraine's membership should not last "years or decades".

Ukraine-News: EU grid operator with plan for Baltic States - inclusion in EU system if Moscow shuts off energy

Update June 30, 8:36 p.m.:

European grid operators are ready to immediately implement a long-term plan to include the Baltic states in the European Union system if Moscow shuts off the energy supply.

Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The Baltic States are currently dependent on the Russian grid.

Concerns about dependence on Russian energy - in whatever form - had recently increased across Europe as Russia cut gas supplies to some countries since the start of the Ukraine war and subsequent Western sanctions.

The Baltic states in particular are now concerned, as there was recently a confrontation with Russia over the Kaliningrad exclave.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have long been pursuing the plan to become part of the continental European electricity interconnection system ENTSO-E.

The Baltic power grids were originally supposed to be synchronized with the continental European grid by 2025.

Medvedev describes sanctions as a possible "reason for war" - Lavrov speaks of the Iron Curtain

Update from June 30, 5 p.m.:

Relations between Russia and the West appear to be deteriorating as the Ukraine war progresses.

On Thursday, the Russian foreign minister caused a stir with his statements.

"As for the Iron Curtain - it's already coming down," Sergey Lavrov told journalists in Minsk.

The process has already begun and Western politicians should now be careful "not to get their fingers caught under it," said the defense minister, referring to relations with the West.

The decisions taken at the NATO summit in Madrid would once again underline that the USA “want to subject all states to its will.” Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill coined the term Iron Curtain in 1946 to seal off the Soviet Eastern Bloc countries from the capitalist world describe.

Also on Thursday, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, warned the West against further sanctions.

"I would like to reiterate that such hostile action may, under certain circumstances, also be construed as an act of international aggression.

And even as a casus belli (reason for war, editor's

note

),” the Reuters news agency quoted the former president as saying.

Russia has the right to defend itself

Dmitry Medvedev has identified Western sanctions against Russia as a possible reason for the war.

© Alexander Astafyev

Amnesty International has classified theater attacks in Mariupol as a war crime

First report from June 30th:

Kyiv – The human rights organization Amnesty International has classified the attack on the theater in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol in March as a war crime.

According to its own statements, the organization collected evidence for three months and presented a final report with the corresponding result on Thursday.

"The attack on the theater in Mariupol is a war crime by Russian troops," said Julia Duchrow of Amnesty International Germany.

It is assumed that Russian troops had probably dropped two 500-kilo bombs on the theater.

The residents of the hard-fought port city had sought shelter there.

According to the report, at least 12 people were killed in the attack and "many others" were seriously injured.

The statements of 52 survivors were included in the report.

The reported minimum number of casualties is lower than previous estimates because large numbers of people left the theater in the days leading up to the attack.

Also, many of those who remained would have sought shelter in the basement of the theater, which was not hit by the full force of the explosion.

The human rights organization Amnesty International has classified the bombing of the theater in Mariupol as a war crime (archive photo).

© Maximilian Clarke/dpa

War in Ukraine: Zelenskyy announces termination of all diplomatic relations with Syria

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that all diplomatic relations with Syria will be severed.

The head of state is reacting to the Syrian government's decision to recognize the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.

This made Syria the first country after Russia to recognize the two separatist areas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 21 that Russia would recognize the two separatist republics.

Three days later, on February 24, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began.

"There will be no more relations between Ukraine and Syria," Zelenskyy said in a video message on Telegram.

The president described the government's decision in Damascus as "insignificant history", but warned of increasing sanctions pressure.

In 2018, like Russia before it, Syria also recognized the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia.

Syria and Russia have been allies for decades.

Since 2015, Moscow has also supported the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in his country's civil war.

(fd/dpa)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-07-06

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