Ukraine war: Bundeswehr Association warns of "cannibalization of our troops"

Created: 09/18/2022, 04:50

By: Momir Takac, Bettina Menzel, Patrick Freiwah, Stephanie Munk, Fabian Müller

Russia warns US against supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine.

EU foreign policy chief Borrell strongly condemns the atrocities at Isjum.

News ticker on the war negotiations.

• Heavy tanks

  for

  Ukraine

  in the

  war against Russia

  ?

  Scholz confirms the course of the federal government.

• EU Commission for

  arms supply to Ukraine

  : States called on to supply main battle tanks.

• Putin

  like raw eggs: Kremlin boss "thanks" China and assures - "We understand your concerns."

• This is a

  news ticker on international negotiations in the Ukraine war

  .

  Further, more up-to-date information on wartime diplomacy can be found here.

Update from September 17, 3:36 p.m .:

According to a report by the US newspaper

, Washington and Kiev are currently quietly negotiating arms deliveries.

Ukraine has stopped publicly asking for fighter jets and anti-aircraft defenses, but internal negotiations are currently over F-16 fighter jets, long-range Gray Eagle drones and Patriot air defense systems.

The newspaper relies on sources from both countries.

But official support is also coming from the USA.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed on Twitter on Saturday that Ukraine would receive $1.5 billion from Washington.

It is the final tranche of the $4.5 billion grant provided by the United States from the World Bank trust fund.

Shmyhal had previously pointed out that Ukraine was dependent on its foreign partners to cope with the massive spending in the coming year.

The budget deficit in 2023 is estimated at around 38 billion US dollars.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell strongly condemns atrocities in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum

Update from September 17, 12:29 p.m .:

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was deeply shocked on Friday by the mass graves discovered by the Ukrainian authorities with over 440 bodies in the small town of Izyum in eastern Ukraine.

"The Russian leadership and everyone involved will be held accountable," the politician wrote on Twitter on Friday.

The atrocities are condemned in the strongest possible terms, Borrell confirmed in a statement on the European Union's website.

Bundeswehr Association warns of "cannibalization of our troops"

Update from September 17, 8:51 a.m .:

In the debate about tank deliveries to Ukraine, the German Bundeswehr Association warns against “cannibalizing our troops”.

“We understand Ukraine's desire for heavy weapons only too well.

We can imagine, for example, handing over armored personnel carriers from the stocks of the industry," said André Wüstner, head of the association, to the

.

"What is no longer possible from our point of view as a professional association, however, is the surrender of weapons and ammunition of the Bundeswehr.

Every single delivery leads to a weakening of the Bundeswehr.”

Colonel André Wüstner, Federal Chairman of the German Armed Forces Association, at a meeting with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin in May (archive photo).

© IMAGO/Janine Schmitz/photothek.de

Chancellor Scholz rejects further arms deliveries, Greens and FDP are putting pressure on

Meanwhile, Ukraine is pushing for more arms deliveries from Germany, including battle tanks.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has so far rejected this.

The coalition partners Greens and FDP are also putting pressure on the SPD in this regard.

The FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann told

on Saturday: "What Ukraine has achieved so far in terms of military strategy was only possible because Ukraine received the appropriate weapons from the West." Now more must be done Material follows - including the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, "with which the Ukrainian army could move up and specifically attack Russian positions".

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On Thursday, the federal government announced that it would provide Ukraine with two more Mars multiple rocket launchers and 50 Dingo armored vehicles.

In addition, 200 rockets would be delivered.

The armed wheeled transporter Dingo is used for patrol and reconnaissance.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterates reluctance to Russia's war on Ukraine

Update from September 16, 5:18 p.m .:

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his reluctance to Moscow’s war against Ukraine at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, he emphasized the desire for greater cooperation between India and Russia.

"Today is not an era of war," Modi said at the meeting with Putin on Friday.

Rather, the focus should be on issues such as food, fertilizer and fuel safety.

"I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine and your concerns, which you constantly express," said Putin - adding: "We are doing everything we can to end this as soon as possible." Kremlin leader that he is not interested in a negotiated solution.

Ukraine war and fertilizers: Putin calls for crackdown on EU

Update from September 16, 4:15 p.m .:

At a meeting of heads of state in Central Asia, Vladimir Putin accused the EU of restricting Russian fertilizer exports to developing countries.

The European Union does allow Russian fertilizers to be imported for itself, but not for other countries, Putin said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan.

He called on the United Nations, represented at the meeting, to put pressure on the EU to lift the restrictions imposed in the wake of the Ukraine war.

Russia is ready to give 300,000 tons of fertilizer "free" to developing countries, Putin said.

According to the Kremlin boss, this amount has accumulated in ports in the EU.

In Samarkand, where China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were present, among others, Putin once again accused the West of making mistakes and said that the world was going through a transformation that was "irreversible".

New centers of power are emerging in the world, he said, also with a view to Russia's closer cooperation with neighboring China.

This should mean in particular the global dominance of the USA.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit in Samarkant © IMAGO/Sergej Bobylev

Ukraine war: heavy tanks from Germany?

Scholz confirms the course of the federal government

Update from September 16, 2:32 p.m .:

Chancellor’s word of power in the debate about demanding heavy weapons equipment from Ukraine?

Olaf Scholz (SPD) apparently does not want to fulfill the country's request for the delivery of German battle tanks for the time being.

"No change" in the position is to be expected in the foreseeable future, according to government circles.

"He stays very true to his line."

Scholz had repeatedly argued in the past few days that Germany would not go it alone on the issue of supplying armored personnel carriers and battle tanks to Ukraine.

Such war equipment could at best be delivered together with allies.

The federal government sees "currently no other countries that would supply battle tanks," said the circles in Berlin.

The government does not see itself under pressure from the allies here either.

For example, there is "neither pressure nor requests from the White House in Washington that we deliver specific weapon systems - for example battle tanks - to Ukraine".

This position must now also be defended against NATO partners: the Ukraine war will also play an important role during the Chancellor's visit to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and Wednesday (September 20/21), it said.

However, Scholz will not announce any changes to German Ukraine policy there: "We want to present our view of things in New York and do persuasion work," according to dpa from insider sources.

Ukraine war: tanks in the crisis region?

SPD politicians for a common solution

Update from September 16, 1:25 p.m .:

A senior Bundeswehr general warns of Russia and Vladimir Putin – and is receiving harsh criticism from the NATO allies’ camp.

Above all, a former US general who apparently thinks this war strategy is wrong.

The amazement at Olaf Scholz's government is also growing in some places.

Update from September 16, 12:04 p.m .:

Deliver heavy war equipment to Ukraine?

This question divides Germany.

The SPD foreign expert Michael Roth has proposed a European initiative for the delivery of battle tanks.

"We have 13 European countries that have a total of 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks," said the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag on news radio MDR Aktuell.

He suggested that "we put together a contingent of Leopard 2 tanks together, which we will then deliver to Ukraine as soon as possible."

The Bundeswehr's Leopard 2 main battle tank: the crux of a debate about heavy military equipment for Ukraine.

© IMAGO/Sven Eckelkamp

Then Germany would have "no national solo effort," said Roth.

At the same time, the wishes of Ukraine are being met.

With a view to the demands of the coalition partners FDP and Greens for tank deliveries, Roth said that “pragmatic solutions” are now needed.

"We shouldn't hit each other over the head with demands." That doesn't help Ukraine, nor does it "help us."

Russia, China and Turkey at summits in the east - USA expands sanctions list

Update from September 16, 9:07 a.m .:

The US government has put other Russian officials and companies on its sanctions list, especially in the technology sector.

This is primarily intended to hamper the supply of armaments and the modernization of the Russian military after heavy losses in the Ukraine war.

The sanctions imposed on Thursday (local time) also affect pro-Russian officials in occupied areas of Ukraine.

The Russian secret service GRU and an important economic adviser to President Vladimir Putin, Maxim Oreshkin, have also been added to the sanctions list.

The US government particularly emphasized the role of Maria Alexeyevna Lwova-Belowa, who was newly included in the sanctions list.

The Russian President's Child Protection Officer oversaw the deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Another neo-Nazi group that has also been sanctioned is Task Force Rusitsch, a paramilitary force fighting in Ukraine with ties to the notorious Wagner mercenary group.

Update from September 16, 7.35 a.m .:

The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) ends this Friday with deliberations of the heads of state in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has planned to give a speech about his vision for the group's future.

In bilateral talks on Thursday, primarily with China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping, Putin got political backing for his war of aggression in Ukraine.

Putin wants to talk to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this Friday about the implementation of the grain agreement, with which Moscow is not satisfied.

The Shanghai Group, founded in 2001 and committed to cooperation and security, now includes not only Russia, China and India but also Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and, more recently, Iran.

EU Commission for arms delivery to Ukraine: EU states should deliver battle tanks

Update from September 15, 8:24 p.m .:

The EU Commission has called on other EU countries to comply with Ukraine’s requests and to deliver battle tanks.

"If they say they need battle tanks, then we should take it seriously and deliver it to them," said commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in an interview with Bild TV.

"The Ukrainians are proving that if they have the right military means, they can defend themselves." Von der Leyen said the Ukrainians were fighting for all of Europe.

"That's why it's so important that they actually get all the military resources they need."

Update from September 15, 7:07 p.m .:

Sweden and Finland are one step closer to being admitted to NATO.

The Spanish House of Representatives voted 290 to 11 in favor of the northern expansion of the western military alliance.

If the Senate also agrees - which is considered a formality - then ratification by Spain is complete.

Longer range missiles for Ukraine?

Russia wants to “defend itself by all means”

Update from September 15, 6:33 p.m.:

Russia warns the United States against delivering longer-range missiles to Ukraine.

This would cross a "red line" and make the United States a party to the conflict, said Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry.

In this case, the nuclear power Russia reserves the right to defend itself with “all possible means”.

“When Washington makes the decision to supply Kyiv with longer-range missiles, it is crossing a red line.

(...) In such a case, we will be forced to react accordingly,” said Zakharova.

Soon after the start of the Ukraine war, Russia put its nuclear weapons on high alert.

US criticizes Xi-Putin meeting: "Not the right time for 'business as usual'"

Update from September 15, 5:27 p.m .:

The United States reacted with incomprehension to the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin.

"This is not the right time for 'business as usual' with Mr. Putin given what he is doing in Ukraine," National Security Council communications director John Kirby told CNN.

"The whole world should rebel against what Mr. Putin is doing."

"China has a choice to make," Kirby warned.

The Chinese government has made a clear decision not to condemn the war in Ukraine.

However, China has not violated the sanctions imposed on Russia, and China has not provided Putin with "direct material support" either.

It remains to be seen whether Xi will decide to actually do anything material for Russia.

Ukraine waving more billions in aid from the EU - and weapons from Germany

Update from September 15, 3:43 p.m .:

Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has announced further arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Germany will deliver two more multiple rocket launchers to the country, Lambrecht said on Thursday at the start of the Bundeswehr conference in Berlin.

Ukraine will also receive 50 Dingo all-protection transport vehicles.

"It is encouraging to see what successes Ukraine has been able to achieve with the help of German weapons, especially in the last few days," said Lambrecht.

Update from September 15, 3:20 p.m .:

Ukraine can soon expect further EU aid in the billions.

The EU Parliament approved loans of over five billion euros in Strasbourg on Thursday.

The money is to be used for the day-to-day operations of the state.

The loans are supported by guarantees from the member states because, according to the EU Commission, there are no longer sufficient resources available in the EU budget.

The money is part of an aid package announced in May totaling nine billion euros.

Before the five billion euros can be paid out, the EU states still have to give their formal consent.

Since there is already a political agreement between the finance ministers of the states, this is considered a formality.

One billion euros from the nine billion package was paid out at the beginning of August.

Putin like raw eggs - Kremlin boss "thanks" China and assures: "We understand your concerns"

Update from September 15, 2:45 p.m .:

Vladimir Putin has promised China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping his support on the Taiwan question and thanked Beijing for his support in the Ukraine crisis.

"We condemn the provocations by the United States and its satellites in the straits off Taiwan," Putin said

at his meeting with Xi in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, according to the

The meeting of the two heads of state at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is their first meeting since the start of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.

Putin thanked his counterpart for China's "balanced position" in the conflict.

"We understand your questions and concerns in this regard and, of course, we are ready to present our position on this issue in detail during today's meeting, although we have discussed it before," said the Kremlin chief.

Beijing had given Russia rhetorical backing in the dispute.

During his recent visit to Moscow, the head of the Chinese parliament, Li Zhanshu, blamed the United States primarily for starting the war in Ukraine.

Russia attacked neighboring Ukraine on February 24.

The montage shows photos of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping at their meeting in Samarkand.

© Alexandr Demyanchuk/Pool/Kremlin/dpa/fn

Russia is fanning out on an image offensive: Putin meets Xi and Erdogan – Lavrov is also said to be traveling

Update from September 15, 1:55 p.m .:

Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Thursday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

This was reported by Russian news agencies.

The meeting on the sidelines of the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit is the first time the two leaders have met since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Regardless of the international outrage over the war of aggression and the economic sanctions imposed, Xi Jinping continues to provide the Russian President with political backing.

China has adopted the Russian line of argument and presents the USA and NATO as the main culprits in the conflict. Both presidents last met shortly before the start of the war at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in early February and vowed their “boundless” friendship.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping meet in Samarkand.

© Alexandr Demaynchuk/afp

Update from September 15, 12:16 p.m .:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week – the Russian government has now confirmed this.

Lavrov wants to speak at the meeting himself, but is also planning around two dozen bilateral meetings with other politicians on the sidelines of the event, said his spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Russia had previously announced that Putin would not be giving a speech in New York this year.

The United Nations had condemned the Ukraine war in an emergency session shortly after the war began.

At next week's General Assembly, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is also scheduled to appear - most likely via video link.

Ukraine negotiations: Baerbock wants to “liberate even more villages” with German tanks

Update from September 15, 11:15 a.m .:

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) calls for a quick decision on German main battle tank deliveries to Ukraine.

German arms deliveries would "obviously very significantly" help "save human lives," Baerbock told the

.

"A foreign policy guided by human rights" must "constantly ask how we can help to liberate even more villages and thus save lives through further deliveries".

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been facing demands from the traffic light coalition for days to also supply the Ukraine with armored personnel carriers and battle tanks.

However, he warns against German going it alone, since no other country has yet delivered Western-style armored personnel carriers or main battle tanks to the Ukraine.

Ukraine negotiations: Von der Leyen meets Zelenskyj in Kyiv

Update from September 15, 10:55 a.m

.: EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Kiev.

There she will discuss with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal how the economies of the EU and Ukraine can get closer, the German politician wrote on Twitter.

It is von der Leyen's third trip to Ukraine since Russia started the war.

Von der Leyen had announced the visit to Kyiv the day before during a speech in Strasbourg.

Work must be done to ensure that Ukraine has access to the European internal market and vice versa, she said.

“Our single market is one of Europe's greatest success stories.

Now it is time to make it a success story for our Ukrainian friends as well.”

After the Ukraine disaster: Putin is launching an image offensive abroad - today he is meeting Xi and Erdogan

Samarkand - Russia's President Vladimir Putin has to accept severe setbacks in the Ukraine war: The Ukrainians have recaptured Russian-occupied areas, Russian soldiers are said to have fled in panic, domestically dissatisfaction with the military deployment in the neighboring country and the actually untouchable Russian President seems to be growing .

In an interview with the

, an expert explains why Ukraine now has a good chance of winning the war.

So far, Putin has remained silent about the possible turnaround in the Ukraine war, but he has set out on a trip abroad: on Thursday, September 15, he will take part in the top-class summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan.

Ukraine negotiations: Putin in Uzbekistan - pictures are intended to polish the image

In the morning the Russian President arrived at the airport in Samarkand, in the evening an informal dinner is planned at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirsiyoyev.

This is reported by the Interfax news agency.

Several bilateral meetings between Putin and China's powerful head of state, Xi Jinping, are also planned.

For Putin, the summit is important not least for image reasons: 15 heads of state and government are taking part in the meeting, including India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

From the Russian point of view, symbolic images from the summit are intended to demonstrate that, despite the war in Ukraine, Russia is by no means isolated internationally.

Images with symbolic effects: Vladimir Putin (right) in a warm embrace with the Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov.

© IMAGO/Alexander Demianchuk

Putin meets China's head of state Xi - for the first time since the Ukraine war

The meeting with China's President Xi is the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since the outbreak of Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Chinese leadership is providing the Kremlin with political backing and portraying the USA and NATO as the main culprits in the war. However, Beijing is maneuvering cautiously in the conflict - many Chinese companies are holding back from doing business with Russia because of Western sanctions.

Vladimir Putin: The political career of the Russian head of state in pictures

View photo gallery

Putin meets Xi in Uzbekistan - Talks with Erdogan also planned

In Usbekistan wird Putin auch den türkischen Präsidenten Recep Tayyip Erdogan treffen. Die russische Regierung hat bereits angekündigt, dabei die Umsetzung des Getreideabkommens zur Sprache zu bringen. Die Türkei ist Vermittler in dem Deal, der die monatelange russische Seeblockade ukrainischer Seehäfen beendete. Nach russischen Angaben geht allerdings ein Großteil des Getreides nicht in die armen Länder, sondern nach Europa. Zudem bemängelt der Kreml, Sanktionen gegen die russische Dünge- und Lebensmittelindustrie würden zumindest indirekt weiter anhalten.

Der militärische Verlauf des Ukraine-Kriegs (lesen Sie dazu alles in unserem News-Ticker) gibt Putin Anlass zur Sorge, was innenpolitische Auswirkungen hat: Die Lüge des Kreml von der „Spezial-Operation“ in der Ukraine bröckelt, die Kritik am Präsidenten wächst. (smu/dpa)