Turkey reports a possible breakthrough in the grain deal. China is planning peace talks. The current situation in the Ukraine war.
- Russia rumbles again in the Ukraine war: Putin spokesman warns of bad "harvest"
- China makes new peace push: trip to Ukraine, Russia - and also Germany
- High-level talks: Negotiations could be underway between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin personally.
Update from May 12, 15:40 p.m.: Reports of possible arms deliveries from South Africa to Russia are alarming the German government. "I am very concerned that these reports have now been made," said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Sweden. We take such information "very, very seriously" and will seek dialogue.
South African media had previously reported that the US ambassador had accused the South African government of supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia. The ammunition delivery is said to have taken place via a Russian ship that docked at a naval base in Cape Town in December. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday (11 May) that he would look into the matter. South Africa, along with Russia, China, India and Brazil, belongs to the "BRICS countries".
Russia rumbles again in the Ukraine war: Putin spokesman warns of bad "harvest"
Update from May 12, 13:52 p.m.: Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has once again warned the West of the consequences of his course towards Russia. People in the knowledge should understand that they will have to reap the consequences of the "misguided and ineffective attitude of their leaders," he said, according to a report by the state agency Tass.
The specific context of the statement was not apparent from the report. However, Tass had previously reported on an assessment by Spectator magazine. The West overestimated its influence in the world when issuing the sanctions, the agency quoted from it. A growing number of analysts are concerned with the consequences of the West's policy, Peskov said. "This is more good than bad," the Kremlin spokesman said.
China makes new peace push: trip to Ukraine, Russia - and also Germany
Update from May 12, 11:17 a.m.: China apparently wants to promote its Ukraine peace plan in Europe once again: Beijing's representative for "Eurasian affairs" will visit Ukraine and Russia, but also Poland, France and Germany, as early as Monday, China's EU representation has now announced. The trip will be about a political solution to the Ukraine war, it said.
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Ukraine negotiations: Erdogan minister announces grain rapprochement
Update from May 12, 10:20 a.m.: The agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain is about to be extended, according to Turkey. The negotiating parties are "moving towards an extension of the grain deal," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Friday, shortly before the Turkish election. The agreement, which has been renewed twice so far, would expire on Thursday without an agreement.
Russia had previously opposed an extension. The U.S. and Britain had called on Moscow on Tuesday for an extension, accusing the government of using the food supply as a "weapon". The agreement allows Russia to export fertilizer and food despite sanctions. Moscow has repeatedly complained that this agreement is not respected.
Ukraine news: Abrams tanks to Ukraine in autumn
Update from May 12, 7:40 a.m.: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive a contingent of Abrams tanks in early autumn. Austin raised the issue during a Senate hearing on the 2024 defense budget, as reported by a Ukrinform correspondent.
"We are doing everything possible to speed up the delivery of these tanks. Early autumn is a forecast," the US Secretary of Defense said in response to a question from Senator Susan Collins. Before delivery, Ukrainian soldiers are to train on Abrams tanks in Bavaria.
Update from May 11, 22:04 p.m.: Volodymyr Selenksyi is apparently planning to visit Italy and Germany soon. This is reported by the Italian news agency ANSA. The Ukrainian president is expected in Rome on May 13. A meeting with Pope Francis would also be in the room. After that, Zelensky wants to continue to Germany.
Ukraine news: 14 fighter jets from Poland reach Ukraine
Update from May 11, 20:15 p.m.: Poland reports the successful delivery of 14 more fighter jets to Ukraine. 14 MiG-29 fighter jets have reached the country and are currently available for operations in the Ukraine war.
This was announced by the Polish EU embassy on Twitter. Warsaw has also provided more tanks than any other EU country to fight Russia. Germany would only come in third place
Ukraine news: Tank deliveries to Kyiv
- 575 tanks in total
- Poland: 325
- Netherlands: 85
- Germany: 80
- USA: 76
- Source: Polish Embassy of the European Union
Update from May 11, 18:45 p.m.: A spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleh Nikolenko, sees Georgia well on its way to making a "deal with the devil" and warns the political leadership of the Black Sea state not to trust Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. The reason for the warning was Russia's decision to resume passenger flights to and from Georgia and to allow Georgian citizens to enter Russia without a visa, reports the news site Ukrainska Pravda. From the Ukrainian point of view, Putin wants to show his gratitude for the fact that Georgia has not joined the Western sanctions against Russia.
At the same time, however, the gesture is also an attempt to "normalize" relations with Georgia after Russia also attacked part of Georgia and brought it under its control as part of the 2008 Georgian war. Nikolenko warns that there could also be abductions of people on the outskirts of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as human rights violations.
Diplomacy in the Ukraine war: Erdogan and Putin talk "possible"
Update from May 11, 17:35 p.m.: While Russia and Turkey are negotiating in Istanbul, Kiev is receiving further support from its Western allies. Britain confirmed that it would deliver Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine. The cruise missiles are said to have a range of more than 250 kilometers and could theoretically reach the Russian mainland. This is reported by the US news channel CNN.
First reported on 11 May, 16.45 p.m.: Moscow / Ankara - Turkey and Russia say they have resumed negotiations on an agreement to ensure the delivery of grain across the Black Sea even during the Ukraine war. As the Kremlin announced, it was "quite possible" that the talks would be shifted at the highest level.
"President Erdogan and President Putin often hold telephone conversations when such a need arises. The grain deal is very important, so they could discuss the results," an unnamed Russian government official told state news agency TASS.
Russia and Turkey continue negotiations in Ukraine war
Negotiations between Russia and Turkey in Istanbul enter their second day on Thursday (11 May). So far, nothing is known about the status or possible results. In addition to representatives of Moscow and Ankara, a delegation from the United Nations is also taking part in the negotiations. According to TASS and the Reuters news agency, the central issue is the implementation of a general grain agreement that would allow the export of agricultural products and fertilizers through the Black Sea and through the Bosphorus Strait. At the beginning of the negotiations, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was optimistic that the agreement would be extended by at least two months.
The halt in grain exports from Ukraine caused by the ongoing Ukraine war triggered a global food crisis last summer. On July 22, 2022, Turkey and Russia signed an agreement to ensure the delivery of food for at least 120 days. The agreement was renewed in November 2022 and March 2023.
Putin and Erdogan: negotiating partners with self-interests
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly been accused of deliberately stoking global hunger in order to gain bargaining chip in the Ukraine war. For Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current talks offer the opportunity to present himself as an international mediator shortly before the Turkish elections on Sunday (14 May).
