After Russia's hail of bombs on Ukraine: OSCE sees Putin "terror" against civilian population
Created: 2022-10-11 04:45
By: Patrick Mayer, Bedrettin Bölükbasi
In the Ukraine war, Putin and those around him are threatening to use nuclear weapons.
US President Biden promises Ukraine "advanced air defense systems".
The news ticker.
After massive
Russian rocket attacks
: G7 heads of state consult with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia
's hail of bombs on
Ukraine
: Aleksandar Lukashenko announces troop aid for Vladimir Putin.
Further
support
for
Ukraine
: Federal government is working on a package.
This
news ticker on the diplomatic developments in the Ukraine war
is constantly updated.
Update from October 10, 10:46 p.m .:
At the beginning of an emergency session of the UN General Assembly, Ukraine asked the world community to condemn Russia’s illegal annexations.
"The so-called referendums had nothing to do with what we call expressions of the people's will - neither from a legal nor from a technical point of view," said Ukraine's UN Ambassador Serhiy Kislizia on Monday in New York.
The whole world "once again saw the true face of a terrorist state that is killing our people" in the Russian attack series on Monday, the ambassador continued.
Meanwhile, Russia failed to force a secret vote on its illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine before the UN General Assembly.
A large majority of the 193 UN members voted at the beginning of the relevant emergency session before the largest UN body for a public vote on a corresponding draft resolution.
The UN General Assembly on Monday began deliberations on the recent illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine by Russia.
At the end of the session, which could drag on until Wednesday due to the large number of speakers, the member states are to vote on a resolution condemning Moscow.
The forthcoming vote in New York is also seen as a global mood test regarding the Ukraine war.
US President Joe Biden assures Ukraine of "advanced air defense systems".
Update from October 10, 10:17 p.m .:
US President Joe Biden has promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj further military aid “including advanced air defense systems”.
Biden assured Selenskyj in a telephone call that he would "continue to provide Ukraine with everything it needs for its defense," the White House in Washington said on Monday.
The US President also expressed his condolences to Zelenskyy after the massive Russian airstrikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
OSCE sees recent Russian attacks in Ukraine as "terror" against the civilian population
Update from October 10, 9:29 p.m .:
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sees the recent Russian attacks in Ukraine as “terror” against the civilian population.
"These heinous military actions amount to total disregard for international law and the law of war," said a joint statement by OSCE leaders on Monday evening.
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"The only motive for these brutal and cruel acts is to spread terror to compensate for tactical and strategic failures," said the OSCE leadership, including Poland's Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson Zbigniew Rau and the German OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid.
Russia is one of the 57 member states of the OSCE.
For years, the Vienna-based organization monitored the fragile ceasefire between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
After the Russian invasion began, the OSCE monitors withdrew.
US President Joe Biden condemns Russian missile attacks on Ukraine
Update from October 10, 7:16 p.m .:
US President Joe Biden has “strongly” condemned the Russian rocket attacks on Ukraine on Monday.
They once again showed "the extreme brutality of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's illegal war" against the Ukrainian people, Biden said on Monday.
The attacks encouraged the US government to stand by the Ukrainian people as long as it is needed.
Russia will continue to be held accountable together with international partners.
"We again call on Russia to immediately end this unprovoked aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine," Biden said.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss assures Ukrainian President Zelenskyj of further support
Update from October 10, 5:55 p.m .:
British Prime Minister Liz Truss has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy further support after the recent Russian rocket attacks on Kiev.
Truss sees the attacks as "a sign of Ukrainian success and increasing desperation" on the part of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a British government spokesman said on Monday after the prime minister called Zelenskyy.
Truss strongly condemned the attacks, stressing that Putin's "destructive rhetoric and behavior" would not change Britain's determination to stand firmly with Ukraine.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has expressed her dismay at the recent Russian attacks on numerous cities in Ukraine.
"Putin's Russia has once again shown the world what it stands for: brutality and terror," the German politician wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the attacks.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of a "profound change in the nature of this war".
Ukraine-Russia War: Germany supplies air defense system
Ukraine will soon receive the first state-of-the-art air defense system from Germany.
The recent rocket fire on Kyiv and other cities made it clear "how important it is to deliver these defensive weapons quickly," said Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) on Monday.
"Russia's attacks with rockets and drones are terrorizing the civilian population in particular." The first of a total of four promised examples of the Iris-T SLM air defense system will now be made available "in the next few days".
Russian President Putin plans to meet with the head of the Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday
Update from October 10, 2:55 p.m .:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a meeting with the head of the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafeal Grossi, for Tuesday.
"The President will meet Mr. Grossi in St. Petersburg tomorrow," confirmed Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The main topic at the meeting will probably be the situation at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia.
Putin announced last week that he would place the power plant under Russian administration.
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located in the region of the same name, which was annexed by Russia along with the Cherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
However, the annexation is not recognized internationally.
In the past there have been repeated attacks on the power plant.
Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the attacks.
Ukraine war: EU aid for Kyiv is not enough - "3 to 3.5 billion euros per month"
Update from October 10, 1:50 p.m .:
According to the European Commission, the current EU aid for Ukraine in view of the Russian war of aggression is far from sufficient.
"Ukraine needs 3 to 3.5 billion euros per month in support to keep the state functioning," said EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn at a conference this Monday.
The short-term aid would have to be continued over a longer period of time than originally hoped, Hahn said.
Estimates for the long-term reconstruction of the country with its approximately 44 million inhabitants even amounted to 349 billion euros, he said, citing the World Bank.
Vladimir Putin threatens Ukraine: Russian President announces retaliation for "acts of terrorism".
Update from October 10, 1:25 p.m .:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Ukraine with retaliation in the event of further acts of terrorism he has described.
The explosion on the Crimean bridge over the weekend, for which he blames the neighboring country, is an act of terrorism, Putin said in a televised speech.
In response, Russian long-range missiles hit energy, military and communications facilities in Ukraine in the morning.
"In case of further attempts to commit terrorist acts on our territory, Russia will react harshly," Putin said.
The answers would then be of the same magnitude as the threats to Russia.
After massive Russian rocket attacks: G7 heads of state consult with Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Update from October 10, 12:30 p.m .:
After the Russian army’s massive rocket attacks on cities in Ukraine on Monday night and this morning, the heads of state and government of the group of seven major industrialized countries (G7) agreed on Tuesday (11 October) on special consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The digital meeting will take place via video link in the afternoon (2 p.m.), said the spokesman for Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Steffen Hebestreit, on Monday in Berlin for the current German G7 presidency.
The traffic light federal government condemns the heavy Russian rocket attacks "in the strongest possible terms," it said.
Russia's hail of bombs on Ukraine: Aleksandar Lukashenko announces troop aid for Vladimir Putin
Update from October 10, 11:30 a.m .:
In the midst of the Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities, the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko announced the deployment of joint troops with Russia, as the state Belarusian news agency Belta reported: "We have decided to form a regional alliance of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus."
He did not provide any information on the exact location.
Lukashenko also accused Ukraine of planning an attack on Belarusian territory.
"I have already said that today Ukraine is not only discussing attacks on Belarusian territory, but also planning them," Lukashenko was quoted as saying.
Ukraine News: Putin meets with his Security Council
Update from October 10, 9:55 a.m .:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called a meeting with his Security Council for Monday.
This was confirmed by Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov of the Russian news agency TASS.
However, Peskov left open whether the meeting will also deal with the Ukrainian attacks on the Crimean Bridge.
"We will inform you after the results of the meeting," the Kremlin spokesman said.
The deputy chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, had announced retaliation for the attacks on the Crimean bridge at the weekend.
The Russian President meets with his Security Council at regular intervals, also to discuss current developments in the Ukraine war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting at the Kremlin.
© GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/AFP
Ukraine-News: UN General Assembly discusses Russian annexations in Ukraine
Update from October 10, 6.10 a.m .:
The UN General Assembly will start deliberations on the recent illegal annexations of parts of Ukraine by Russia on Monday (9 p.m. CEST).
At the end of the session, which could drag on until Wednesday due to the large number of speakers, the UN body, the largest with 193 member states, is to vote on a resolution condemning Moscow.
Russia had previously called for a secret ballot - apparently in the hope of a better result.
High-ranking diplomats describe this as an unprecedented operation that is unlikely to receive sufficient support.
As expected, a resolution in the UN Security Council condemning the annexations, introduced by the USA and other countries, was blocked by a veto by Moscow.
The process then moved to the General Assembly.
According to diplomats, it needs the support of two-thirds of the countries voting for it to be passed by the body.
In a draft resolution available to the German Press Agency, Russia's actions are condemned as aggression and "violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine".
The referendums are illegal, have "no validity under international law and do not form a basis for changing the status of these regions of Ukraine," it said.
Ukraine war: negotiations with the Kremlin?
- Zelenskyj shows no hope for talks
Update from October 9, 10:03 p.m .:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed the impossibility of negotiations with Russia.
"The constant terror against the civilian population is Russia's obvious rejection of real negotiations," said Zelenskyj in his video message on Monday night.
"Terror at state level is one of the worst international crimes." Shortly before, Russian President Vladimir Putin had blamed the Ukrainian secret service for the recent attack on the Crimean bridge and spoke of an "act of terrorism".
“Putin accuses Ukraine of terrorism?
That looks too cynical even for Russia,” Ukrainian presidential office adviser Mykhailo Podoliak responded on Twitter.
Podoljak referred to recent rocket attacks in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia, as a result of which more than a dozen people were reported to have died.
"No, there is only one terrorist state - and the whole world knows who it is."
Ukraine war: Scholz and Biden on the phone and criticize Russia
Update from October 9, 7.40 p.m .:
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden have again condemned the Russian annexations of areas in Ukraine.
In their phone call on Sunday, Scholz and Biden also criticized the "recent nuclear threats made by Moscow as irresponsible" and agreed that the use of such weapons would have "extraordinarily serious consequences for Russia", said the spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Hebestreit, With.
The White House said that Biden and Scholz had emphasized that they would continue to work to ensure that Russia was held responsible for its "brutal actions" and that Ukraine received security and economic aid.
Ukraine war: Federal government plans further support for Ukraine
Update from October 9, 4:20 p.m .:
According to a media report, the federal government wants to support Ukraine with military equipment for the winter.
Part of the package are 100,000 warm under jackets and other winter clothing, 100 heatable team tents, hundreds of mobile power generators and pallets of food packages, as the "Spiegel" reported on Sunday.
The financial outlay is therefore eleven million euros.
In addition, the pressure on the federal government to deliver modern tanks to Ukraine has been growing for weeks.
During a visit to Lithuania on Saturday, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) referred to the deliveries of Gepard tanks and tanks of Soviet design in ring exchanges, for example via Greece and Slovakia.
Ukraine war: Turkey is working on a new peace initiative
Update from October 9, 2:15 p.m .:
Turkey has repeatedly offered itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia in the Ukraine war.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has maintained good relations with both Ukraine and Russia, while trying to maintain a certain balance.
Ankara is apparently now working on a new peace initiative, according to a report in the Turkish newspaper
Milliyet
.
After analyzing all statements made by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, Turkey has come to the conclusion that Moscow is striving for a new long-term deal with the West, wrote
Milliyet
columnist Özay Sendir.
This was already underlined by Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin in an interview with the US broadcaster CNN.
According to the newspaper, Turkey has started sharing thoughts about its new initiative with western governments.
Turkey is planning to put the USA, Germany, France and Great Britain at a table with Russia.
According to Sendir, initial feedback from influential political figures in Washington was positive.
However, her only question was whether one could find an interlocutor in Moscow for such an initiative.
Turkey has affirmed this and at the same time made it clear that Ankara respects the sovereignty and the will of Ukraine.
Ukraine News: Russia threatens nuclear strike - "have the right"
First report from October 9th:
Munich/Berlin – In the Ukraine war, nuclear threats from Moscow are no less.
On the contrary: With every Russian defeat in southern and eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin's nuclear rhetoric increases.
Again and again it is said that Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons and that it is not a "bluff".
Röttgen warns against intimidation: "Keep a cool head and stick to the facts"
The CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen has now warned against being intimidated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats.
"If we let Putin blackmail us once, then we're permanently screwed," Röttgen told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
The credible deterrence of Putin's threats remains crucial to prevent further escalation.
The USA is “just as indispensable as it is prepared” for this.
The CDU politician called for "keeping a cool head and sticking strictly to the facts".
This includes the fact that Putin wants to continue the war: "As part of this war, he is trying to scare us."
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Ukraine-News: Macron reacts to Biden's "Armageddon" statement - "political fiction"
Most recently, US President Joe Biden warned of the danger of a nuclear "Armageddon" such as was last experienced in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
"We have a guy here that I know pretty well," Biden said, according to British newspaper
The Guardian
.
The Kremlin boss is not joking, he said.
Those words created even more excitement in the midst of an already tense situation.
Apparently, not everyone welcomes the sensitive warning from the US President.
French President Emmanuel Macron has since responded to Biden's comments and advised caution with such statements.
"We have to speak with wisdom when commenting on such issues," he said
at a press conference on Friday (October 7) after the EU summit in Prague , according to the British newspaper
Daily Mail .
"I've always refused to engage in political fiction," Macron said, adding, "Especially when it comes to nuclear weapons.
We have to be very careful on this issue."
However, should a nuclear “apocalypse” actually occur, the US could respond in three different ways.
(bb/dpa)
