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Ukrainian units near Bakhmut in the east of the country (in November 2022)
Photo: Libkos / dpa
What has happened in the past few hours
Moscow's expected new offensive is already underway in eastern Ukraine, according to local sources.
When asked on Ukrainian television if Pavlo Krylenko, governor of the eastern Donetsk region, thought the Russian offensive had already begun, he said: "Yes, definitely."
Especially in towns like Bakhmut, Avdijwka and Wuhledar, which had seen the bloodiest battles of the war, 'the enemy's forces and means are escalating with daily intensity.
They are attempting to take these areas and important cities in order to gain new victories.' The anniversary of the Russian invasion on February 24 is approaching and, in line with Kiev's predictions, Moscow is intensifying its attacks to boast of frontline successes.
That says Kyiv
In the discussion about arms deliveries to Ukraine, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, pleaded for understanding for his country's wishes.
“When we ask for weapons, it's for defense.
We can't fight without weapons," said Makeiev on Thursday at "MDR Aktuell".
He cannot understand criticism of Ukraine's current demands and recommends critics to talk to "those who have experienced the war themselves, who have lost relatives and friends or who have to go to the protective bunker three times a day."
Makeiev was also skeptical about possible negotiations with Russia.
Ukraine tried to negotiate, he said.
Even Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) tried it a few days before the war, but he was "lied and lied to and lied to," according to Makeiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin could end the war with a simple order to withdraw his troops from Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave Belgian King Philippe a special gift: on Thursday in Brussels he handed him part of a Russian Su-25 fighter jet that was shot down in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian pilots wrote the words "Together we win" (Together we win), as the palace announced on Twitter.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was also present at the audience.
Selenskyj had traveled to Brussels for a meeting with the heads of state and government of the EU states.
At a press conference afterwards, he had committed the EU to a joint fight against Russia and at the same time promoted fighter jet deliveries.
Arms deliveries to Ukraine
According to a report, the United States is to support Ukraine in coordinating attacks against the Russian military.
In a majority of attacks using US advanced missile systems, the US or allies are said to provide or confirm coordinates of attack targets, the Washington Post said Thursday, citing unnamed Ukrainian and US sources reported.
The information would be provided by the US military in Europe.
The newspaper named Russian ammunition depots or barracks on Ukrainian soil as targets.
A high-ranking US official confirmed the “key role played by the United States,” it said.
Target acquisition assistance is therefore used to ensure accuracy and achieve maximum effectiveness with limited ammunition supplies.
The US provided coordinates and precise target information solely in an advisory capacity, the newspaper quoted the US representative as saying.
They would not authorize attacks in the process.
“Ukrainians are responsible for finding targets, setting priorities, and ultimately deciding which ones to attack.
The US does not approve targets, nor are we involved in target selection or deployment,” the Washington Post quoted a Pentagon response to the research as saying.
The way information was exchanged had been optimized over time to support Ukraine's requests and "target processes" with improved speed and on a larger scale.
According to French information, Ukraine cannot count on fast deliveries of fighter jets.
This is by no means possible “in the coming weeks”, said French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday morning at the EU summit in Brussels.
But he does not rule out anything in principle, emphasized Macron.
The Ukrainian President Selenskyj spoke in Brussels of "positive signals".
He had "heard of the willingness to send the necessary weapons, including fighter jets".
However, Selenskyj did not comment on specific commitments.
Chancellor Scholz said that fighter jets were "not a topic of conversation" for him.
He emphasized that Selenskyj "again thanked me very expressly for the German contribution, including me personally".
The meeting with the Ukrainian President was an "extraordinarily emotional moment" that deeply moved all summit participants.
Zelenskyy has asked Slovakia for Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets.
The Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger then promised him "to work on fulfilling this wish".
This emerges from a brief conversation between the two politicians.
The government office in Bratislava made a corresponding video recording available to the dpa news agency on Thursday evening.
"It is in the interest of Slovak and European security to help you," Heger replied to the Ukrainian President on the sidelines of the EU summit at his request.
Heger explained to the Slovakian news agency TASR that the specific procedure for handing over the combat aircraft would not only be clarified within Slovakia, but also at European level.
Because Slovakia would hand over the MiG-29 to Ukraine as part of an EU funding mechanism.
Therefore, the date of the handover is still open.
However, the Slovakian government is interested in the negotiations being concluded as quickly as possible.
The Slovakian MiG fighter planes had been desired by neighboring Ukraine shortly after the start of the Russian invasion.
A few months later, Slovakian Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad announced that he would no longer use the MiG-29s, which he had previously described as "indispensable", from autumn 2022 because they were outdated and could only be serviced by technicians from "enemy Russia".
Despite this, there was initially no handover to Ukraine.
This fueled speculation that Slovakia was expecting similar compensation from Germany or other NATO partners for the handover as was granted for the surrender of battle tanks.
International Reactions
The prosecution of possible war crimes in Ukraine is to be the subject of next week's Munich Security Conference.
The question of criminal prosecution was put on the agenda, said conference head Christoph Heusgen to the editorial network Germany.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, will therefore take part in the event.
Heusgen referred to the downing of the MH17 passenger plane in July 2014 over eastern Ukraine.
"It's not surprising that the Kremlin had a hand in this heinous act."
All 298 people on board were killed in the launch.
International investigators spoke on Wednesday of "strong signs" that Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally approved the delivery of the rocket used.
But there is no evidence.
In addition, the investigators pointed out on the question of criminal prosecution that Putin enjoys immunity as head of state.
In view of this, discussion and efforts are all the more important to "hold those responsible for the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine to account," Heusgen said.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) recently proposed a special Ukraine tribunal, but this was met with skepticism in the European Union.
According to a survey, in the event of a military attack on Germany, a good one in ten Germans would be prepared to defend their country with weapons in their hands.
In such a case, however, only five percent of Germans would volunteer for military service, as the results of a representative survey by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the dpa show.
Another six percent of adults expect to be called up in the event of war and, if necessary, to be trained for national defense.
jok/dpa/Reuters