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After a phone call with Erdogan: Putin raises new allegations against Ukraine and the West

2023-01-17T08:09:57.216Z


Poland and Estonia are demanding that Germany supply battle tanks to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin makes new accusations against Kyiv. The news ticker on war diplomacy.


Poland and Estonia are demanding that Germany supply battle tanks to Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin makes new accusations against Kyiv.

The news ticker on war diplomacy.

  • Telephone call with 

    Recep Tayyip Erdogan

    : Vladimir Putin raises new allegations against Ukraine.

  • House

    bombed in

    Dnipro : UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemns deadly attack.

  • The pressure on

    Berlin

    is growing: Estonia's foreign minister is demanding tank deliveries from Germany.

  • This 

    news ticker

     on diplomacy in the 

    Ukraine war

     is constantly 

    updated

    .

Update from January 16, 9:55 p.m .:

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has proposed a new special tribunal in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

During a speech in The Hague in the Netherlands this Monday, the minister called for a "new format" to "investigate the Russian leadership and bring them to justice".

In addition, the Rome Statute, on which the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is based, should be reformed.

She spoke to her Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba about setting up a "special tribunal for crimes of aggression against Ukraine," Baerbock told the Academy of International Law.

"What we can imagine is a court that derives its jurisdiction from Ukrainian criminal law." This could be supplemented with "international elements" and meet outside of Ukraine, "with the financial support of partners and with international prosecutors and judges, so that impartiality and legitimacy are guaranteed”.

House bombed in Dnipro: UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemns deadly attack

Update from January 16, 9:40 p.m .:

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the deadly attack on a residential building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

According to Guterres, this is "another example of an alleged violation of martial law," his spokeswoman Stéphanie Tremblay said on Monday.

The attack on a residential building in Dnipro on Saturday night was one of the deadliest attacks in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, she added.

The UN coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, has called for an "investigation into suspected war crimes and the prosecution of the suspects," Tremblay said.

So far, 40 dead and 75 injured have been registered in Dnipro.

According to Tremblay, the numbers are likely to increase during the rescue work.

"More than a thousand people have been made homeless by the attack," added the Guterres spokeswoman.

The UN is helping them find new shelter and supporting them with the distribution of blankets, warm clothing and medicine.

Phone call with Erdogan: Putin raises allegations against Ukraine

Update from January 16, 7:30 p.m .:

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the war in Ukraine – and blamed Kiev for the recent intensification of the fighting.

"Vladimir Putin drew attention to the destructive line of the Kiev regime, which, with the help of Western sponsors who are increasing the volume of arms and military equipment supplied, is counting on intensifying hostilities," the Kremlin said on Monday after the phone call.

Just last weekend, Russia launched a particularly heavy wave of attacks on Ukraine, which it had invaded almost eleven months ago.

A Russian projectile hit a high-rise building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing at least 40 people.

The Kremlin again accused Kyiv of a lack of willingness to negotiate - citing as an example the rejection of a ceasefire ordered by Putin for the Orthodox Christmas period in early January.

At the time, Ukraine rejected the move as hypocritical, and many international observers also spoke of Putin's purely propaganda gesture.

The shooting continued from both sides.

Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized that it is willing to negotiate - but only if Russian soldiers return territory occupied in violation of international law.

+

Rulers in Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin.

© IMAGO/Sergei Bobylev

At the suggestion of Turkey, Putin's talks with Erdogan also dealt with further prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and the implementation of the grain agreement, the Kremlin said.

The agreement provides for the end of the Russian naval blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports around Odessa.

In return, the obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers are to be removed.

The Turkish side also confirmed the phone call and announced that Erdogan had once again offered to mediate for a lasting peace.

For Germany, the decision to provide offensive weapons has particular political weight.

But the paradigm must change so that Ukraine can not only defend itself, but gain the upper hand.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu

The pressure on Berlin is growing: Estonia's foreign minister is demanding tank deliveries from Germany

Update from January 16, 4:30 p.m .:

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu is also demanding tank deliveries from Germany.

Berlin's plans are of particular importance, he now emphasized.

“For Germany, the decision to provide offensive weapons has particular political weight.

But the paradigm must change so that Ukraine can not only defend itself, but gain the upper hand," he told Estonian radio on Monday.

On Friday (January 20), the so-called Ukraine contact group will meet at the US Ramstein Air Force Base in Rhineland-Palatinate to discuss how to proceed.

+

Berlin plays a key role in the discussion about deliveries of Leopard 2 main battle tanks.

As a place of production, Germany has to give its approval for every delivery to the Ukraine.

(archive image)

© Philipp Schulze/dpa

Battle tanks for Ukraine: Poland reminds Germany to deliver

Update from January 16, 2:25 p.m .:

The Polish head of government Mateusz Morawiecki has warned the federal government to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine.

At an event organized by the Union faction on Monday, he asked for decisive action so that "all types of weapons" could be delivered.

He warned that Ukraine's defeat could be the "prelude to a third world war".

There is therefore no reason to block support for Kyiv.

Poland had already announced that it wanted to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.

However, since these are produced in Germany, approval from Berlin is required.

Putin spokesman comments on delivery announcements: West tanks "will burn"

Update from January 16, 12:36 p.m .:

Moscow has commented on the announced tank deliveries from the West.

"These tanks are burning and will burn," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

According to Peskov, the long-discussed arms deliveries do not change anything about Russia's military approach.

Instead, they will "only prolong this story," the Kremlin spokesman said.

So far, Great Britain and Poland had announced that they would supply battle tanks to Ukraine.

Putin spokesman Peskov denied the dispute between the Wagner mercenary group and the Russian military.

Such communications are a product of the media.

Both the Russian armed forces and the private military company were fighting for the well-being of their homeland, he said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

Russia “also knows her heroes who serve in our armed forces and perform heroic miracles there, and she knows the heroes of Wagner!

One as well as the other will remain in our memories forever.”

Update from January 16, 10:57 a.m .:

The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter calls for the return of tanks that were delivered from Germany to Qatar.

These are “currently not needed there,” he told the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

on Monday.

Instead, the tanks are to be delivered to Ukraine.

This refers to anti-aircraft tanks of the Gepard type, of which the federal government has already sent 30 to the country attacked by Russia.

"The cheetah has proven itself in action and was initially used very efficiently to combat ground targets," says Kiesewetter.

Dispute over the Leopard 2: CSU politicians call for immediate action in the Ukraine war

Update from January 16, 8:35 a.m .:

The defense policy spokesman for the Union faction Florian Hahn accuses the federal government of acting too slowly in the debate about tank deliveries to Ukraine.

"Scholz must not hesitate any longer, but must get both Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 on the way," said the CSU politician to the

Augsburger Allgemeine

(Monday edition).

"These delays are costing Ukraine time and lives," warns Hahn.

"By the time the tanks are ready for use by the industry, it would be conceivable to hand over the Leopard 2-A5 models to the Bundeswehr." For the material handed over, however, the traffic light would then have to initiate immediate procurement at the same time.

The armaments company Rheinmetall had previously stated that it would not be able to deliver repaired Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine until 2024 at the earliest.

Protection of critical infrastructure: Bundeswehr begins relocating Patriots to Poland

Update from January 16, 8:10 a.m .:

The Bundeswehr begins relocating its Patriot air defense system to Poland.

The first soldiers should set off this Monday with their vehicles from Bad Sülze (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), as the German Press Agency learned from security circles.

In the coming days, the weapon systems will also be relocated to the neighboring country.

A total of three squadrons are to ensure the protection of critical infrastructure of the NATO ally near the border with Ukraine.

After a missile hit Polish territory in November, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) and her Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak agreed that German Patriot missile defense systems would be relocated to Poland.

In addition, Germany will also deliver a Patriot anti-aircraft system to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russia.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Melnyk: Germany should deliver Tornados

Update from January 16, 6.40 a.m .:

The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk makes the proposal to also deliver German fighter jets to his country.

The Bundeswehr has 93 Tornados in its fleet, which will soon be retired and replaced by modern F-35 stealth jets.

These tornadoes are old but "still very powerful" fighter jets, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany wrote on Twitter.

Melnyk asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz: "Why not deliver these tornadoes to Ukraine?" The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter welcomed the proposal on Twitter.

I have a creative proposal to our German friends.

The Bundeswehr has 93 Tornado multirole combat aircraft that will be decommissioned soon & replaced by F-35.


Though it's an old jet fighter, but still very powerful.

Why not to deliver these tornadoes to Ukraine @Bundeskanzler?

pic.twitter.com/KxTZdUQLAS

— Andriy Melnyk (@MelnykAndriy) January 15, 2023

Blaming Putin for his war: Baerbock in The Hague visiting the International Criminal Court

Update from January 15, 8 p.m.:

During a visit to The Hague, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wants to discuss ways in which Russian President Vladimir Putin can be held accountable for the war of aggression against Ukraine.

At the International Criminal Court in the Dutch city, the Greens politician wants to meet President Piotr Hofmanski and then Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan this Monday (11:00 a.m.).

Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Sunday evening that the Russian war of aggression was clearly contrary to international law.

He wishes for even more determination and decisiveness in the legal prosecution.

"If it's the quickest and most effective means, I think a special tribunal is conceivable," he added.

Several options are conceivable for such a tribunal.

Ukraine-News: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recalls Ukraine's ammunition shortage

Update from January 15, 12:48 p.m

.: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper (FAS) that Ukraine needed “an enormous amount of ammunition” to ward off the Russian attacks.

NATO is therefore demanding the construction of completely new armaments factories - and the Düsseldorf-based armaments group Rheinmetall is already implementing this, according to the report.

According to the FAS, the company wants to announce the construction of a new ammunition plant in Varpalota, Hungary, next week.

From 2024 onwards, 30-millimeter ammunition is to be manufactured there.

Another plant is being built in Unterlüss, Lower Saxony.

"We are using all opportunities to further expand capacities, for example by introducing two- or three-shift models and hiring new employees," said Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger to

FAS

.

"We ask politicians for planning security with regard to future procurements in order to be able to tackle large-volume investments in good time."

Special assets of the Bundeswehr: Högl brings drastic increase into the conversation

Update from January 15, 12:03 p.m

.: Against the background of the Ukraine war, NATO and the German traffic light coalition are demanding that armaments production be ramped up.

The Bundestag Defense Commissioner Eva Högl (SPD)

discussed a significant increase in the Bundeswehr special fund from 100 to 300 billion euros in the

Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) .

It would not work "without new production capacities," emphasized Högl, who is being discussed as a possible successor to Christine Lambrecht in the event of the current Defense Minister resigning.

The former head of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, called for

the establishment of a "war economy" in Europe in the

Welt am Sonntag .

Ischinger urged that more ammunition be quickly delivered to Ukraine.

A "war economy" means "that we - coordinated in NATO and in Europe - take the initiative and call on the European armaments companies to produce more weapons and more ammunition due to the war".

The background to this are corresponding demands from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Nobel Peace Prize winner insists on delivery of German tanks to Ukraine

Update from January 15, 11:01 a.m

.: "Every hesitation brings death every day": With these words, the Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matwijtschuk called on the federal government to give up its resistance to the delivery of Western battle tanks to Kiev.

In her country's fight for freedom, "every tank could save lives," she said in the

Bild am Sonntag (BamS)

.

"All the violence we see in Ukraine is the result of decades of impunity that Russia has enjoyed," Matviychuk continued.

Russian troops committed crimes everywhere: in Chechnya, Moldova, Georgia, Mali, Libya and Syria.

"There were no consequences.

And now they think they can do whatever they want," the human rights lawyer said.

"German tanks are essential for survival": Ukraine ambassador appeals to Berlin

First report from January 15

: Kiev/Berlin - "German weapons, German tanks are essential for survival".

With these words, the Ukrainian ambassador Oleksii Makeiev addressed the federal government of Olaf Scholz before the negotiations of the western allies about further arms deliveries to Ukraine.

He wants to deliver in the coming weeks, but according to the manufacturer it's not that easy.

Next Friday, the defense ministers of Ukraine's western allies will meet at the US Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate to discuss further military support for the fight against the Russian attackers.

Great Britain was the first country to announce that it would provide the Ukrainian armed forces with Western-style main battle tanks - namely 14 units of its own production Challenger 2. Poland and Finland are ready to deliver German-made Leopard 2 tanks to the European network.

The federal government has not yet taken a position on this.

But according to Makeiev, Ukraine wants exactly these Leopard tanks.

Tank delivery stops: Leopard manufacturer cannot deliver directly to Ukraine

According to current reports, the Scholz government wants to make a commitment to Leopard soon.

But the manufacturer Rheinmetall is already warning: According to its own statements, the German armaments group could not deliver repaired Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine until 2024 at the earliest.

"Even if the decision is made tomorrow that we can send our Leopard tanks to Kiev, delivery will take until the beginning of next year," Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told

Bild am Sonntag

.

+

Soldiers drive a German Leopard tank during the "Iron Wolf II" military exercise at the Pabrade military training area.

(Archive)

© Dirk Waem/dpa

According to Papperger, the armaments group still has 22 Leopard 2 vehicles and 88 Leopard 1 vehicles. “But we cannot repair these tanks without an order, as the costs are several hundred million euros.

Rheinmetall cannot finance that in advance," Papperger told the newspaper.

The repair of the decommissioned main battle tanks took "almost a year", Papperger continued.

"The vehicles are not only repainted, but have to be converted for a war effort." The tanks would be "completely disassembled and then rebuilt."

The Leopard could play a decisive role in the war, said the CEO: "With main battle tanks, an army can break through enemy lines and end a long trench war.

With the Leopard, the soldiers can advance tens of kilometers at a time.”

Tanks for Ukraine: Switzerland blocks Spanish delivery

Ukraine has long been demanding the delivery of Leopard tanks.

The debate picked up momentum this week after Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country was ready to do so as part of an international coalition.

However, this would require approval from Germany, the country of manufacture.

Finally, on Saturday, Great Britain became the first country to announce the delivery of heavy battle tanks to Kyiv.

The delivery of the Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems should help the Ukrainian army "push back the Russian troops," said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The British commitment is increasing the pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to also send battle tanks to Ukraine.

Ukraine war: President Zelenskyj addresses the world via video

Ukraine war: President Zelenskyj addresses the world via video

But it is not only in Germany that there are problems with arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Apparently, Switzerland is preventing Spain from delivering war material to Ukraine.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told the

Switzerland Times

.

Accordingly, Spain needs the Go of the Confederates to deliver weapons manufactured in Switzerland.

However, the Confederates fear that their neutrality would be called into question should the arms be delivered to Ukraine.

According to

ntv

information, Switzerland is also refusing to allow Germany to export cheetah ammunition on the same grounds.

These are produced by the manufacturer Rheinmetall in Switzerland.

(rjs/dpa/afp)

List of rubrics: © IMAGO/Sergei Bobylev

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-01-17

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