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7 mins ago
Germany will decide "soon" on the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
By Inke Kappeler, Allegra Goodwin
Two Leopard 2 A6 heavy battle tanks and a Puma infantry fighting vehicle from the Bundeswehr's 9th Panzer Training Brigade take part in a demonstration at the Bundeswehr Army training grounds on February 7 in Munster, Germany. .
(Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Berlin says it will soon make a quick decision on delivering Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as Western leaders put increased pressure on Germany to send advanced weaponry to Kyiv after repeated requests by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he anticipated a timely decision on the delivery of the tanks, adding that he considered them necessary for a Ukrainian offensive in the eastern Luhansk and Donbas regions.
"Everyone understands the need for him [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky] and everyone understands the needs and that is why there will soon be a decision, whatever it is," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
"That tanks are needed, that an offensive movement is needed with respect to Donbas, with respect to Luhansk, that is absolutely clear, but then you have to see how that will be equipped, but there are also other states that can make their contributions," he said. on Sunday to the public radio station ARD.
While describing Germany as "a Leopard nation," adding that it has a "special responsibility that we have to fulfil," Pistorius stressed the importance of a decision on Leopard tanks "be closely coordinated" with the allies.
“We are talking about heavy armored weapons that can and should be used for offensive purposes, and we have to weigh very carefully when to include them in the equation, and I think it is right to do so cautiously and carefully in the German and European interest and not rashly or reckless," Pistorius added.
Weapons destined for war that are manufactured in the country cannot be re-exported without the approval of the federal government, according to German law.
Under the "War Weapons Control Act," the German government must consent to any delivery of German-made weapons to a war zone.
Some context
: Germany has so far failed to reach an agreement with its main Western allies on sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, despite mounting pressure from NATO and Kyiv to increase its military aid before a possible Russian spring offensive.
Some Kyiv officials have expressed frustration at Berlin's indecision over whether to send its tanks to Ukraine.
Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk told CNN's Isa Soares that Germany's inaction is a "great disappointment for all Ukrainians."
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
9 mins ago
HIMARS rockets hit mechanical installations in occupied Lugansk
By Kostan Nechyporenko, Josh Pennington, Teele Rebane
Ukrainian forces launched a HIMARS attack on a mechanical plant dispensary in occupied Lugansk on Saturday, amid Kyiv's efforts to retake control of the eastern region.
The dispensary in Kadiivka was used as a "location" for Chechen fighters led by pro-Kremlin Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the Center for Strategic Communication of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has claimed.
Six rockets were launched destroying the dispensary of the mechanical engineering plant according to the mission of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination on Ceasefire and Stabilization of the Demarcation Line (JCCC).
It is not clear whether and for what purposes the dispensary was used by pro-Russian forces.
The dispensary may have been used as a hospital for soldiers, according to information from a local source shared by the JCCC.
In June, Kadyrov shared a video on his Telegram channel of a delivery of medical supplies to a hospital in Kadiivka.
The number of victims is still being clarified according to the JCCC, but Andrey Marochko, spokesman for the LNR militia, confirmed that there were no casualties among "the civilian population."
In December, Russian state media TASS reported that a hotel in Kadiivka, said to be the headquarters of the Wagner Group, was destroyed in a HIMARS attack.
Some Background
: The versatility of the US-made HIMARS system is clear from its name: High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
Its mobility makes it more difficult to aim and it can be crewed by just eight soldiers.
The rockets supplied to Ukraine have a range of 70 to 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) and their GPS guidance systems make them extremely accurate.
12 mins ago
Germany would not stop Poland from sending Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine if asked, official says
By Inke Kappeler
Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister.
Germany would not stop Poland from sending Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine if asked, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told French media outlet LCI on Sunday.
“The question has not been asked.
If we were asked the question, we wouldn't stand in the way," Baerbock said in an interview on the sidelines of a Franco-German cabinet meeting.
Asked by the interviewer to clarify whether he meant Germany would not prevent Poland from sending battle tanks to Ukraine, Baerbock said: "You have understood me correctly."
"We have rules, so-called end-use controls," Baerbock said of Germany's hesitation to send main battle tanks into the war zone.
Under Germany's basic law, "weapons intended for war may be manufactured, transported and traded only with the authorization of the federal government."
Under the "War Weapons Control Act", the German government must consent to any delivery of German-made Weapons to a war zone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz must give his consent and the final decision rests with him, according to German law.
Scholz has been heavily criticized by his Liberal coalition partner and many others for his stance on sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
16 mins ago
Delivery of offensive weapons to Ukraine 'will lead to a global catastrophe', says Russian official
By Mariya Knight
The supply of Western weapons to Ukraine "will lead to a global catastrophe," a senior Russian politician warned on Sunday.
“The delivery of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime will lead to a global catastrophe,” Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, wrote on his Telegram channel.
Volodin said the arms handover would lead to Russian retaliation "using more powerful weapons."
His comments come after NATO partners met on Friday at the Ramstein airbase in Germany to discuss more military aid for Ukraine.
Volodin called on European parliaments to realize "their responsibility to humanity."
Decisions being made by Brussels and Washington are leading the world into a "terrible war," he said.
“To a completely different military action than the current one, when the attacks are carried out exclusively on the military and critical infrastructure used by the Kyiv regime,” he stated.
"Given the technological superiority of Russian weapons, foreign politicians making such decisions must understand that this could end in a global tragedy that will destroy their countries."
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, called Volodin's comments "politically inappropriate."
"The Russian Federation using Volodin threatens again that the supply of military equipment to Ukraine is a threat to the mythical cities of the Russian Federation and therefore we must expect an escalation," he tweeted on Sunday.
"This is after the Russian Federation has been bombing Ukraine for 11 months, mass killing civilians, but Ukraine and the world have to bear it in silence and not resist..."
On Sunday, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council and a key ally of President Vladimir Putin, said "things will be very difficult for Russia" after the Ramstein meeting.
"The meeting in Ramstein and the assignment of heavy weapons to Kyiv leaves no doubt that our enemies will try to indefinitely wear us down, or rather destroy us. And they have enough weapons. [...] Therefore, there is no need for wishful thinking. What are the conclusions from this? First, things will be very difficult for Russia," he said.
18 minutes ago
Ukrainian deputy minister sacked for alleged embezzlement
By Kostan Nechyporenko
A Ukrainian deputy minister has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling $400,000 of funds meant to rebuild the country's damaged infrastructure.
An investigation by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Office found that public funds set aside for alternative energy sources during the winter months had been misappropriated.
The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine confirmed the arrest of Vasyl Lozynskyy on its Facebook page, writing: "Today it became known that Vasyl Lozynskyy, Acting Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, was detained for embezzlement of budget funds."
He said that Lozynskyy, who has not commented on the accusations, will be removed from his position.
NABU said on its website that it had "exposed and stopped embezzlement of budget funds" and "detained detectives [Lozyynskyy] for receiving $400,000 in illegal profits. The deputy minister received the money for facilitating the signing of contracts for the purchase of equipment and overpriced machinery".
war in ukraine
