Enlarge image
Tank traps in the center of Kiev (on February 8)
Photo: GLEB GARANICH / REUTERS
That says Kyiv
On the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy categorically rejected a compromise with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
From his point of view, even a dialogue with Putin is not possible because there is simply no trust, Zelenskyj said in a BBC interview on Thursday.
"We can agree on something and he'll send for troops the next day," Zelenskyy said.
One cannot “make agreements with those who are not willing to keep them”.
Ukraine's aim is to regain all of the territories occupied by Russia, Zelenskyy reiterated.
This is important for both Ukraine and Russia.
"Because if they don't give up part of our territories, it will be impossible for future generations to coexist."
Ukraine's partners must recognize that this is the only way to go.
Because if Kiev's partners allow the Russian side options, "it will not lead to anything good - neither in Ukraine, nor in Russia, nor in Europe."
Allowing Russia to keep part of the occupied territories will only lead to new territorial claims or campaigns of conquest.
Zelenskyy welcomed the UN General Assembly resolution on the withdrawal of Russian troops as a "strong signal of unwavering global support" for Ukraine.
The vote is a "powerful expression" of worldwide support for the peace formula in Ukraine - which, among other things, provides for the complete withdrawal of Russia from Ukraine, reparations payments and the legal prosecution of those responsible for the aggressive war in Moscow.
Shortly before, on the anniversary of the beginning of the war, the UN General Assembly had once again called for the withdrawal of Russian troops by a large majority.
141 of the 193 member states of the largest body of the United Nations voted in New York on Thursday for a corresponding resolution.
Moscow says so
The Russian military leadership has again claimed that Ukraine is preparing an attack on Transnistria, a breakaway territory from neighboring Moldova.
In doing so, Kiev wants to forestall an alleged advance by Russian units from Transnistria, the Russian state agency TASS reported on Thursday evening, citing unnamed sources in the Ministry of Defense in Moscow.
The Russian reconnaissance has recognized a concentration of Ukrainian forces on the border with Transnistria.
Since the 1990s, Russian soldiers have been stationed in the Transnistria region on the border with Ukraine, which was split off from Moldova. They act as so-called peacekeeping troops.
The ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova is not part of NATO; it is politically divided between pro-European and pro-Russian forces.
Transnistria has a large Russian population.
International reactions
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock saw the large majority of the UN General Assembly as an important signal for a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.
The result shows: "With its war policy, Russia is just as isolated as it was a year ago," said the Green politician on Thursday in New York.
'The world wants peace.
The countries of this world made that clear today at the United Nations,” said Baerbock.
"And we stand together against the breach of international law."
Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns against hasty conclusions about the background to the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Baltic Sea pipelines that have been laid in Germany. "Of course we urgently want to know who was responsible," said the SPD politician to the "Bild" newspaper.
Scholz called for the answer to this question to be based on constitutional criteria.
“It is up to the Attorney General and the security authorities to investigate this carefully.”
The Federal Prosecutor's Office is investigating the explosions that tore four leaks in the two pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 near the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm at the end of September.
Russia had shut down Nord Stream 1 at the time due to alleged technical problems.
The Kremlin blamed the US for causing the explosions.
There is no evidence of US involvement.
economic consequences
The US government plans to announce new sanctions against Russia this Friday.
The measures would target, among other things, "key sectors" that generated income for President Putin's war, announced White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
Other Russian banks and the Russian defense industry are also affected.
The sanctions should therefore also target third countries, which the US government believes will help to circumvent sanctions against Russia.
To mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there will be a video link from Western economic powerhouses on Friday, which will also be attended by US President Joe Biden.
Jean-Pierre said Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will also be connected to the online meeting of the G7.
Jean-Pierre did not answer the question of whether the sanctions would be announced jointly by all G7 countries or whether they were purely US government sanctions.
Ukrainian nuclear facilities
Since the war in Ukraine began a year ago, the country's nuclear power plants have been hit by more than 40 incidents.
This emerges from a report published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday in Vienna.
"We have been lucky that no nuclear accident has happened and we must do everything we can to minimize such a risk," wrote IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
At the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian troops occupied the former Chernobyl power plant for a few weeks, where radioactive waste has been stored since the devastating nuclear accident in 1986.
On March 4, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, was occupied.
It remains under Russian control to this day.
Grossi has been negotiating a ceasefire zone around Zaporizhia with Kiev and Moscow for months - so far without success.
Especially last summer, facilities in and around Zaporizhia were repeatedly shelled and damaged.
Moscow and Kiev blamed each other for this.
In addition, in the past twelve months, the power lines that supply the cooling systems of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants have often failed due to the war.
In November, all four power plants were cut off from the external power supply for two days.
Nuclear accidents were prevented with emergency generators.
For weeks, the IAEA has been observing the falling water level of a reservoir in Zaporizhia, from which the cooling water for the nuclear power plant is fed.
The government in Kiev blames Russia for this.
What is happening today
On the anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine, anti-war demonstrations have been announced in many German cities.
But the authorities also expect pro-Russian actions.
Accordingly, the security forces are also prepared for increased presence and possible operations.
jok/dpa/Reuters
