Relief in Kyiv: Germany and the USA agree to supply infantry fighting vehicles
Created: 2023-01-06 04:38
By: Caspar Felix Hoffmann, Karolin Schäfer
New realities in the Ukraine war: After France's decision to deliver tanks to Kyiv, the German government has now also made its decision.
The news ticker.
German tanks for the Ukraine:
The federal government supplies armored personnel carriers in the Ukraine war
Negotiations:
Turkey wants to mediate between Russia and Ukraine
Conversation with Putin and Zelenskyy:
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls both parties in the Ukraine conflict
Update from January 6, 4.40 a.m .:
The decision by Germany and the USA to deliver armored personnel carriers to Ukraine triggered joy and relief in Kiev.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden for their commitment on Friday night.
"We will get another Patriot system and powerful armored vehicles, it's really a big victory for our state," he said in his video address.
Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev tweeted black, red and gold hearts and the words "#Thank you Germany".
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Selenskyj thanks Scholz
+++ 10:10 p.m .:
Germany has announced the delivery of Marder armored personnel carriers and a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for announcing the Patriot battery.
"Together with the previously delivered Iris-T system and the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, Germany is making an important contribution to intercepting all Russian missiles!" wrote the head of state on Twitter.
The federal government has announced the delivery of Marder armored personnel carriers.
© SAKIS MITROLIDIS/afp
Scholz and US President Joe Biden had previously agreed to supply armored personnel carriers for the fight against Russia for the first time (
see update from 8.35 p.m.
).
Washington had already promised to deliver the Patriot system to Ukraine shortly before Christmas.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck welcomed the decision of the federal government.
"Since the beginning of the war, we have increasingly expanded our support in cooperation with our partners.
It is logical that we also take this step, ”explained the Green politician on Thursday evening.
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
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Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Germany and the USA deliver armored personnel carriers
+++ 8.35 p.m .:
For the first time, Germany and the USA want to deliver armored personnel carriers to Ukraine in the fight against Russia.
In addition, the federal government will provide a Patriot anti-aircraft battery for air defense.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and US President Joe Biden agreed on this in a telephone call on Thursday, as it was then said in a joint statement.
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Germany wants to deliver the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, the USA is sending Bradley tanks.
It is still unclear how many tanks will reach Ukraine and when exactly they will arrive.
Ukraine had been asking Western countries for battle tanks and armored personnel carriers for months.
There are already initial reactions from the parties in the traffic light coalition.
The Chair of the Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), welcomed the American-German decision to supply armored personnel carriers.
"It is a great relief that the Federal Government and especially the Federal Chancellery are finally paving the way for tank deliveries to Ukraine.
This decision comes very late, but not too late," the German Press Agency (dpa)
quoted
the FDP politician as saying.
The Greens also support the decision.
"We have to support Ukraine with everything it needs, always in consultation with our partners," said party leader Omid Nouripour on Thursday evening.
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Baerbock announces a change of course
+++ 7 p.m.:
After Chancellor Olaf Scholz is apparently considering the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine (
see update from 4.10 p.m.
), Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has also indicated a change of course.
Germany and its allies should leave no doubt about their support for Kyiv and "see what we can do more, especially with military support," said the Green politician at a press conference with her British counterpart James Cleverly in London.
In addition to defensive weapons, this included "also means, weapons that Ukraine needs to liberate occupied territory and thus the people who are suffering from Russian terror there," added Baerbock.
Despite inquiries from journalists, the minister did not make any concrete commitments.
With a view to the announcements from Paris and Washington that they would deliver light tanks and armored personnel carriers to Kyiv, she said they were considering what they could do together with their partners.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said at an economic conference in Oslo on Thursday that arms deliveries would always be "adapted to the needs of the battlefield." Ukraine had repeatedly asked Germany to supply modern weapons for use against Russia, including Leopard and Marder tanks .
So far, Germany has refused to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine.
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Erdoğan again offers Kyiv help
+++ 6 p.m.:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan phoned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday – following his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Erdoğan again offered the Ukrainian leader his help in brokering a peace deal between the two countries,
European Pravda
reported .
Humanitarian aid provided by Turkey, energy supply in Ukraine and the grain corridor were also discussed.
At the same time, Erdoğan announced that he could make a diplomatic contribution to accelerating the process of establishing a security zone around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
The power plant has been contested for months.
Zelenskyy is pleased "to hear that Turkey is ready to participate in the implementation of our agreement," the Ukrainian President wrote on Twitter.
News in the Ukraine war: Scholz is now considering the delivery of German tanks
+++ 16.10:
Olaf Scholz is apparently considering the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine.
As the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
reported, it is said to be Marder armored personnel carriers from industrial stocks.
The decision was agreed with the USA and France.
Scholz had come under pressure because French President Emmanuel Macron had announced the delivery of French main battle tanks.
The Scholz government had always justified the decision not to supply tanks with the fact that it did not want to go it alone when it came to supplying weapons.
+++ 2.10 p.m .:
Russian President Putin has again emphasized his willingness to hold peace talks as soon as Ukraine recognizes the annexation of large parts of the country by Russia.
This is reported by the AFP
news agency
.
Russia considers the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporichzhia and Kherson to be its territories, although this corresponds neither to the military reality nor to international law.
Ukraine should also officially give up the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Putin has stressed to Turkish President Erdogan that Russia is open to serious peace talks if Kyiv accepts this condition.
Ukraine receives main battle tanks from France - pressure on Scholz is growing
+++ 12.15 p.m .:
France’s decision to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine causes trouble in the traffic light coalition.
Defense politicians from the FDP and Greens demanded that Chancellor Olaf Scholz also make Leopard main battle tanks available to Ukraine.
"The argument constantly advanced by the Federal Chancellery that Germany should not go it alone is absolutely passé," Strack-Zimmermann told the
AFP
news agency .
The Greens defense expert Sara Nanni made a similar statement.
"We should make available to Ukraine what is feasible, including leopards and martens from industrial stocks," Nanni told the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
"The decision from France is good," says Nanni.
+++ 11.00 a.m .:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Vladimir Putin to underpin his peace efforts with a unilateral ceasefire.
On this basis, the conflicting parties could then develop a "vision for a fair solution," said Erdogan, according to the
Reuters
news agency .
Putin and Erdogan spoke on the phone on Wednesday.
Update from January 5, 8:55 a.m .:
France now wants to deliver “light battle tanks” to Ukraine for the fight against Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron assured his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskyy of this, the French government announced.
Specifically, it is about the AMX-10 RC scout tank.
It is not yet clear how many models Ukraine will receive.
According to the French government, these are the first main battle tanks to be delivered to Kyiv from the west.
Baerbock calls for solidarity with Ukraine in the fight against Russia
+++ 8.20 p.m .:
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on Europe and the West to stand closely and in solidarity with Ukraine in 2023.
In view of the Russian aggression, the strongest reaction lies in the joint response of the partners, the Greens politician said on Wednesday (January 4) at a conference in Lisbon.
The greatest wish for the new year is peace in 2023.
At the same time, Baerbock sharply criticized the Russian attacks on Ukraine over the holidays.
Now is not the time for theoretical questions.
In view of the turning point, all partners would have to sit down to see how the problems could be solved together.
The minister spoke out in favor of pragmatic solutions in the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
Russian diplomat: North Korea 'strongly supports' Ukraine war
+++ 5.30 p.m .:
A senior Russian diplomat has praised North Korea for “firmly” supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which has found few supporters in the international community.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told the state news agency
Tass
that Pyongyang's support for the Kremlin's attack on its neighbor will help further cooperation between the two countries.
"North Korea was among the countries that have strongly supported the Russian Federation's decision to conduct a military special operation in Ukraine, including at the United Nations," Rudenko said.
Joint decision: Russia and China want to work more closely together
Update from January 4, 4:05 p.m .:
China and Russia have made a joint decision to strengthen their cooperation in the new year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin late last month.
While Xi stressed China's "objective and just" stance on Russia's war in Ukraine -- a war Beijing neither condemns nor supports -- both leaders reiterated their desire to further expand ties until 2023.
For his part, Putin also invited Xi to visit Moscow in the spring.
A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry told reporters on Tuesday (January 3) when asked whether such plans had already been launched that "China and Russia, as strategic partners, are committed to building a new type of relationship that will evolve." characterized by mutual respect and a cooperation that benefits both sides".
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Erdoğan talks to Putin and Zelenskyy
First report from Wednesday, January 4
: Ankara – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wants to call his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.
This was announced by Ibrahim Kalin, an advisor to the Turkish President, on Tuesday (January 3) on Turkish television.
Kalin gave no further details on what Erdoğan wants to talk about.
Russian media had already reported on the plans for a telephone conversation between the presidents of Turkey and Russia.
Erdoğan last spoke to Zelenskyy on December 11 when they discussed Turkey's humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and a peace deal.
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Turkey sees itself in the role of a mediator
Turkey has refused to impose sanctions on the Russian Federation since the invasion began, saying its role is that of a mediator between the two sides in the conflict.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in early December that Ankara expected a "clearer picture" of a possible ceasefire in the Ukraine war or a return to the negotiating table by spring 2023.
(Talk to agencies)
