After Turkey’s approval, NATO officially invited Finland and Sweden. Defense Minister Lambrecht confirms talks to supply Ukraine with Leopard 1 tanks. All voices and developments on the Ukraine war here in the ticker.
9.14 a.m .: Great Britain wants to deliver more air defense systems, drones and other military equipment to Ukraine for its defense against Russia. “British arms, equipment and training are transforming Ukraine’s defenses against this attack,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday evening. They continue to stand behind the Ukrainian people to ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin fails in Ukraine. Specifically, London announced military aid of one billion pounds (1.16 billion euros) – in addition to the 1.3 billion pounds (1.51 billion euros) previously pledged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the Western heads of government gathered at the NATO summit in Madrid to give his country even more support.
According to the PA news agency, British military spending is currently around 2.3 percent of Britain’s economic output, including support for Ukraine. According to reports, the defense budget will not initially be increased. There had previously been a dispute in the Cabinet, as Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace had campaigned for an increase in view of the increasing threat.
5:56 a.m.: The recent jokes at the G7 summit about the shirtless photos of Vladimir Putin did not go down well with the Kremlin chief. If the G7 leaders had exposed themselves, it would have been a “disgusting sight,” the Russian president told journalists in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat on Wednesday.
The conversation Putin touched on happened at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria on Sunday afternoon. In view of the high temperatures, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked whether jackets were to be taken off or not, and added: “We all have to show that we are tougher than Putin.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau replied, among other things: Riding naked Upper body, you have to do that. He alluded to a well-known photo of Putin in such a pose.
“I don’t know how they wanted to undress, above or below the waistline. I think it would have been a disgusting sight in any case,” Putin was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Tass. For harmony between body and soul, you have to do sports, not drink too much alcohol and give up other bad habits, Putin taught Heads of state and government of the leading democratic industrialized countries.
10:20 p.m .: Federal Defense Minister Lambrecht confirms talks with Spain about possible Leopard 1 delivery on ZDF Today Journal.
So far, no country has delivered Western-style battle tanks to Ukraine. When asked about the reports on Spain’s offer to deliver ten Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said she “didn’t have these requirements yet.” In conversation with Marietta Slomka, however, she confirmed that she will be having a conversation with her Spanish colleague in the evening. “We will certainly also discuss this question there,” said Lambrecht. We will “now wait to see whether Spain actually makes this application. And then we will discuss things in the federal government and make decisions quickly,” said Lambrecht. When asked why the Gepard could be delivered while Rheinmetall still had the Leopard 1 and Marder, even though the Gepard tank also had massive firepower, Lambrecht said : “The cheetah can shoot really big holes. Of course, you are right. But it is designed to secure anti-aircraft defenses.”
According to Lambrecht, Germany and NATO supported Ukraine in a targeted manner and at “express request” with precise artillery, such as self-propelled howitzers with multiple rocket launchers paired with Iris-T.
The minister also confirmed that the exchange of rings with the Czech Republic had started: “Czech Republic gave up tanks a long time ago and we are making sure that this gap is filled,” said Lambrecht. She is also in intensive contact with her Greek and Slovakian colleagues at the NATO summit – there is progress there.
Lambrecht emphasized that everyone in the alliance should know that Germany is a reliable partner: “We stand by our obligations in NATO. We are an alliance army and we will ensure that. And that is the important signal that is also being sent out from this summit. That NATO is strong, that it stands together and that it is willing to make changes to meet the challenges we are currently facing.”
4:59 p.m .: According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, 144 Ukrainian soldiers were freed in the largest prisoner exchange to date between Russia and Ukraine. Among them are 95 fighters from the Azov steelworks in Mariupol, the intelligence department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday in the online service Telegram. Information on the place and time of the exchange was initially not given.
2:26 p.m .: The transatlantic defense alliance NATO is also verbally arming itself against Russia. In the afternoon, the Allies decided on a new strategic concept for the military alliance. It describes Russia as “the most significant and direct threat to the security of the Alliance and the Euro-Atlantic region.” Because of the attack on Ukraine, Russia “can no longer be considered a partner.” China is also described as a challenge.
It also says: “We can no longer rule out an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Allies.” That is why NATO will drastically increase its deterrence potential on the eastern flank. More than 300,000 soldiers are said to be quickly operational and thus deter Russia in particular from attacking the Allies.
2:15 p.m .: According to their own statements, the western allies have frozen personal assets worth more than 30 billion US dollars (28.5 billion euros) as part of the sanctions against Russia. In addition, assets of the Russian central bank worth about 300 billion dollars (285 billion euros) were frozen, the US Treasury announced on Wednesday. This is thanks to the cooperation in the “Russian Elites, Helpers and Oligarchs” task force, in which the European Union and the G7 countries Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Great Britain and the USA as well as Australia cooperate.
Freezing assets is about making them unusable. This can mean, for example, blocking a bank account. Formally, the assets usually remain in the possession of the owner.
Numerous yachts and other ships belonging to sanctioned Russians were reportedly arrested. The aim is now to impose further sanctions in the coming months and to prevent the punitive measures from being undermined. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the allies have jointly imposed far-reaching sanctions on Russia.
1:23 p.m .: Russia sees the current NATO summit as confirmation of the aggressive attitude of the western military alliance. “The Madrid summit consolidates the course of aggressive containment of Russia” by the military alliance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday, according to Russian news agencies. He described the expansion of the alliance to include Finland and Sweden as a “purely destabilizing factor in international affairs”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described Russia as a “direct threat” to the security of the Western military coalition on Wednesday in Madrid. US President Joe Biden announced that the US will “strengthen its military position in Europe”.
Because of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have also applied for NATO membership. The accession of the two countries is to be decided in Madrid. “It does not strengthen the security of those who expand, those who join, or those who see the alliance as a threat,” Ryabkov said.
One of the reasons given by Russia for its attack on Ukraine was the need to push back NATO’s influence on its borders. The NATO countries are now supporting the government in Kyiv in the fight against Russian troops with arms deliveries.
10:58 a.m .: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has promised Ukraine further arms deliveries. In addition to humanitarian and financial aid, “weapons that Ukraine urgently needs will be made available,” he said at the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday. “The message is: We will continue this for as long and as intensively as is necessary for Ukraine to be able to defend itself.”
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) announced in Madrid on Tuesday that Germany would deliver three more 2000 self-propelled howitzers to the Ukraine. Seven of these heavy artillery pieces with a range of up to 40 kilometers from Bundeswehr stocks have already arrived in Ukraine.
Scholz also welcomed the agreement on the admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO. That is “something that is very, very important to us,” said the Chancellor. “Both countries fit in very well with our alliance.” On Tuesday evening, Turkey gave up its blockade against admission, and the three countries agreed on a memorandum to that effect.
10.50 a.m .: The USA announced thousands of additional soldiers for Europe at the NATO summit in Madrid. US President Joe Biden said at the start of the two-day meeting on Wednesday that in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the military alliance would be “reinforced in every area – on land, in the air and at sea”. NATO will “defend every inch of its territory,” he emphasized, referring to the eastern member states.
According to Biden, additional air force forces are to be stationed in Germany and Italy. Biden did not give any details. The largest US air force base in Germany is in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate.
A brigade with 3,000 US soldiers and 2,000 other military personnel is planned in Romania, which has a more than 600-kilometer border with Ukraine. The United States also wants to increase its forces in Poland and the Baltic States. The United States currently has around 100,000 troops stationed in Europe.
9.43 a.m .: According to a media report, a Briton sentenced to death by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine is taking action against the conviction. An appeal had been lodged, his lawyer told the Russian news agency Interfax on Wednesday. If she is denied, a clemency petition will be filed. Her client asked her to do so.
Three weeks ago, the Supreme Court of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) sentenced to death three foreign fighters in the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces as mercenaries. Among them were two Britons and one Moroccan. The two Britons were captured by pro-Russian forces in mid-April in the southeastern Ukrainian port of Mariupol. According to media reports, both had lived in Ukraine before the war and also married there.
8.30 p.m .: Turkey has given up its opposition to the admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO. Turkey will support the invitation to the two Nordic countries to join the alliance during the NATO summit in Madrid, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö announced on Tuesday evening. A corresponding memorandum was signed by the foreign ministers of the three countries after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Turkey to ensure their full support against threats to each other’s security, the Finnish President said in a statement. “The fact that we are becoming a NATO ally will reinforce this commitment.”
Finland and Sweden are not yet NATO members, but they are close partners in the defense alliance. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered intense debates about such membership in the two militarily non-aligned countries. On May 18, they each applied for admission to NATO – in the hope of being able to go through the procedure as quickly as possible before they finally join.
However, Turkey promptly put a stop to this by being the only NATO member to block the beginning of the admission process. Since decisions in NATO are made according to the principle of consensus and thus not against the resistance of allies, the process has stalled ever since. This was an unexpected setback for the alliance, after all it has been trying to show unity and unity since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Ankara justified its blockade with the alleged Swedish and Finnish support of “terrorist organizations” such as the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK, the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG and the Gülen movement – this is rejected in Stockholm and Helsinki. Ankara has demanded the extradition of several people suspected of being terrorists in Turkey.
Erdogan was also concerned with lifting restrictions on arms exports to Turkey. NATO partners such as Germany, but also other EU countries such as Sweden, partially stopped arms deliveries to Turkey in protest against a Turkish offensive against the YPG in northern Syria in 2019. Turkey sees this as an affront, as it sees the deployment in Syria as a necessary step in the fight against terrorism.
Stoltenberg recently tried to mediate between Turkey and the two possible future members. He stressed several times that Turkey’s objections had to be taken seriously – apparently that has now been done.
For Finland and Sweden, the NATO issue is a historic step, after all, both countries have traditionally been non-aligned in military terms. Both have long viewed Russia as a threat. In the case of Finland, this also has to do with the fact that the country has a border with Russia that is more than 1,300 kilometers long. No other EU country borders the giant empire over such a long distance.
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