NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg sees an ammunition shortage.
Germany wants to ramp up production of cheetah ammunition again.
The War Diplomacy Ticker.
Putin spokesman
complains about
"hostility" from NATO
: Dmitri Peskov has again raised serious allegations against the military alliance.
Stoltenberg
alarmed by
NATO
's
ammunition bottleneck
: The NATO Secretary General called on the member states to conclude new supply contracts.
Again and again
attacks on infrastructure
: Klitschko
calls for more generators for Kyiv.
This
news ticker
on
diplomatic events in the Ukraine war
is continuously updated.
Update from February 14, 5:20 p.m .:
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has “little understanding” for countries that have recently put pressure on Germany with tank deliveries, but now have delivery problems for the Ukraine war themselves.
He said this before deliberations of the international contact group for arms deliveries to Ukraine, which preceded a NATO meeting.
The 62-year-old also expressed open disappointment that a number of other European countries apparently do not even intend to make delivery commitments quickly.
So far, apart from Germany, only Portugal, Norway and Poland have made concrete commitments, although according to Pistorius there may be problems with tanks from Poland in terms of the condition and operational capability of the tanks.
The tank coalition for Ukraine "doesn't look quite as exciting - to put it mildly," said the SPD politician.
Pistorius explained that Germany has so far been reluctant to talk about fighter jets by saying that other things are far more important for Ukraine at the moment.
"I think everyone has understood that the issue of air defense and the issue of ammunition procurement are much more important at the moment than the discussion about fighter jets," he said, without excluding German approval or participation in possible future deliveries.
Everyone knows that the training to fly alone takes several months - not to mention the teaching of the skills that are needed to actually use the weapon systems.
Ukraine-News: US government increases pressure on Kiev
Update from February 14, 4:22 p.m .:
According to a media report, the US government is increasing the pressure on Ukraine to show military successes on the battlefield in view of new deliveries of weapons.
The
Washington Post
reported .
According to the report, US officials are said to have made it clear to Kiev that the current aid packages and arms deliveries represent the best chance of decisively changing the course of the war.
However, given the new majority in the US House of Representatives, it could become more difficult in the future to continue receiving the same amount of aid.
The Republicans have had the majority since the midterm elections in November last year, and the resistance of individual party representatives to further aid to Ukraine had already become public.
Putin spokesman complains about 'hostility' from NATO - 'proving it every day'
Update from February 14, 1:40 p.m .:
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has not ruled out separate accession of Finland and Sweden to the military alliance.
"The most important question is not whether the accession of Finland and Sweden will be ratified together," said Stoltenberg in Brussels on Tuesday.
It is important that both are successful "as soon as possible".
He is confident that this will be the case soon.
"We're working hard on it," said the Norwegian.
In view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the two Nordic countries had asked to be admitted to NATO, thereby breaking with a long tradition of extensive military neutrality.
The parliaments of all 30 members of the military alliance must ratify the accession of Finland and Sweden before they can be admitted.
Turkey and Hungary are the only two NATO countries whose approval is still pending.
At the beginning of February, Turkey signaled that Finland's application for membership could be approved without admitting Sweden to the alliance.
Ankara is blocking Sweden's efforts to join the alliance while demanding a tougher stance on Kurdish activists from Stockholm.
Pistorius sees delay in main battle tank delivery - doesn't look quite so exciting
Update from February 14, 12:25 p.m .:
There are apparently delays in the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
At least that's what Defense Minister Boris Pistorius admitted on Tuesday.
It doesn't look "quite so exciting - to put it mildly," said the SPD politician on the sidelines of a meeting of the international contact group for arms deliveries to Ukraine.
In addition to the German commitment to deliver 14 Leopard 2A6, there has only been an announcement from Portugal that three such tanks will be made available.
More A6 are currently not in discussion, said Pistorius.
Leopard 2A4 tanks from Poland may have problems in terms of tank condition and serviceability.
When asked whether he had sympathy for countries that would have put insane pressure to deliver tanks and now have delivery problems, Pistorius said: "Since I'm on the diplomatic stage here, I would say little."
Putin spokesman complains about 'hostility' from NATO - 'proving it every day'
Update from February 14, 11:40 a.m .:
The Kremlin has again criticized NATO for supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia.
"NATO is a hostile organization that demonstrates this hostility every day," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Reuters news agency.
"She is trying her best to make her involvement in the conflict over Ukraine as clear as possible," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said.
In recent weeks, various representatives of the Russian government have repeatedly accused NATO of direct participation in the war.
However, officials of the Western military alliance repeatedly emphasize that they are not acting as a war party.
The NATO countries support Ukraine financially and by supplying war equipment.
Ex-Siko boss Ischinger: NATO countries must clearly define western war goals
Update from February 14, 11:05 a.m .:
The former head of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, has asked NATO to take a unified line in the Ukraine war.
"That's why I think we need a political-strategic contact group to define the western war goals so clearly that we all know - together we know - where it's going," he told RBB Inforadio on Tuesday.
One of the current questions is whether NATO should encourage Kiev to recapture Crimea.
“There is a wide range of different opinions,” Ischinger explained.
The former German ambassador in Washington also advised the NATO states not to publicly rule out the delivery of certain types of weapons – such as fighter jets – to Ukraine.
"We should avoid everything that offers the Russian side additional security for their own planning," he said.
Whether you ultimately deliver combat aircraft or not is another question.
Pistorius announces new ammunition order - further support for Ukraine
Update from February 14, 10:30 a.m .:
Germany has ordered new ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, which is then to be delivered to Ukraine.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) confirmed this on Tuesday.
Corresponding contracts with the manufacturers have already been signed.
"This means that we will now immediately resume our own production at Rheinmetall for cheetah ammunition.
It will start immediately," said Pistorius.
The defense minister reiterated that the agreements will ensure Ukraine's independence and faster supplies.
"This is of central importance for cheetah anti-aircraft defenses in Ukraine," he said.
Despite its age, the anti-aircraft tank rendered “outstanding service, especially when it came to countering drones” and was highly valued by Ukrainian soldiers.
"And that's why this news is good for everyone involved," added Pistorius.
Berlin provided Gepard tanks for the Ukraine for the first time last summer.
Stoltenberg warns about NATO ammunition shortage: "We can't continue like this"
Update from February 14, 8:20 a.m .:
The Ukraine war puts a huge strain on NATO’s ammunition stocks.
Busy ammunition factories therefore also lead to extremely long delivery times.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg therefore called on member states to urgently conclude new supply contracts.
Defense companies should expand their manufacturing capacities.
"We've been working on that for the past year.
Because we initially only covered the huge demand in the Ukraine from our warehouses.
But we cannot continue like this, ”said the Secretary-General, according to the Tagesschau, before the meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels.
"We need to produce more to supply Ukrainian forces while ensuring we have enough ammunition to defend every square inch of Alliance territory," Stoltenberg said.
Ukraine News: Selenskyj praises "very intensive" talks with Macron and Scholz
Update from February 14, 7:15 a.m .:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes for a decision on further arms deliveries to his country at the meeting of the so-called Ukraine contact group on Tuesday in Brussels.
"We are working to ensure that all of our negotiations are reflected in the armament decisions of our partners," said Zelenskyy in his evening video address.
A few days after his meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and French President Emmanuel Macron, Selenskyj called the conversation "very intense".
"The three of us spoke very openly, and that enabled us to find a common understanding of the prospects in this war," Zelenskyy said.
He thanked Macron and Scholz for their unified support for Ukraine's European integration.
"We have a shared vision of the road to victory," he said.
Ukraine News: Melnyk urges quick decision on fighter jets
Update from February 14, 6:30 a.m .:
The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk assumes that Germany will deliver fighter jets to his country and calls for a quick decision on this.
"German experts also say that Germany will deliver the fighter jets, it's only a matter of time," he said on Monday evening on the ARD program "Hart aber fair".
But the longer the debate on this lasts, the more difficult it will be for Ukraine to liberate the territories occupied by Russia.
"We hope that the Germans, that the federal government will not draw red lines (...), but will address what is important to us," emphasized Melnyk, adding: "The time factor is crucial."
"Unfortunately, time is against us," warned Melnyk.
The longer the fighter jet debate is delayed and Ukrainian pilots are not trained, the more new tanks Russian President Vladimir Putin could send to the front.
Ukraine assumes that, just like with battle tanks, a European-transatlantic fighter jet alliance will be forged.
"It is clear, and all military experts say so, that Ukraine cannot win this war without the air force and without the navy," he said.
"This war can only be ended on the battlefield." Negotiations are currently unimaginable.
“The fact is that Putin still wants to destroy us.
Unfortunately, he has not given up on this goal.”
Ukraine-News: Russia Targets Attacks On Ukrainian Infrastructure
First report from February 13:
Kiev – Kiev's power supply repeatedly comes to a standstill due to Russian shelling.
Kiev's Mayor Vitali Klitschko is now demanding more generators - the ones supplied so far are not enough.
Repeated attacks on infrastructure: Klitschko demands more generators for Kiev
"Thousands" of additional generators are needed to keep the Ukrainian capital powered, Klitschko told
AFP on Monday.
"We received almost a thousand, but we have 500 kindergartens, 500 schools in the capital," the mayor said.
Klitschko sees Kiev better prepared for Russian military attacks with rockets and drones than a few months ago, but he is "still concerned about electricity and heating." estimated.
Ukraine war: "Better without electricity and water than with Russian soldiers"
Since October, Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's infrastructure with its attacks, causing millions of citizens to repeatedly struggle with power and heating outages in the dead of winter.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the latest massive attack on Friday consisted of a volley of 71 cruise missiles and kamikaze drones targeting Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine, Kharkiv in the northeast and Khmelnytskyi in the west, among others.
According to Klitschko, a total of ten rockets were shot down by Ukrainian forces in the airspace over Kiev, causing "damage to the power grid".
According to the government, the energy supply in the country was largely back on the following Saturday.
Mayor Klitschko praised the work of the affected municipal utilities and the resilience of Ukraine.
"Instead of being depressed, people say: 'Better without electricity and water than with Russian soldiers,'" says Klitschko.
+
A Leopard 2A6 main battle tank in the field during a visit by Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to Tank Battalion 203 in Field Marshal Rommel Barracks.
© IMAGO/Christoph Hardt
German main battle tanks for Ukraine: Training on the Leopard has begun
The German Bundeswehr started training Ukrainian soldiers on the Leopard 2A6 main battle tank on Monday.
The training takes place at the Munster military training area in Lower Saxony.
It should be completed by the end of March, according to a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Defense in Berlin.
At the Munster site, Ukrainian units have been training on the Marder infantry fighting vehicle since the end of January.
At the end of January, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had also promised Ukraine Leopard 2 main battle tanks from Bundeswehr stocks after months of hesitation.
The declared aim of the federal government is now, together with other countries, to quickly provide Kiev with two battalions of Leopard tanks.
The Ukrainian army is to receive a total of 60 tanks, and Germany has promised 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks.
(mlh/afp)
List of rubrics: © Olivier Matthys/dpa