Despite Putin’s warning to the West, Britain pledges to supply long-range missile systems. The weapon system can hit targets up to 80 kilometers away. All voices and developments on the Ukraine war here in the ticker.
3:50 p.m .: Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth has arrived in Odessa for a two-day visit. The Greens politician is the first member of the federal government to be a guest in the strategically important port city on the Black Sea after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
1:39 p.m .: The Kremlin has criticized the blocking of European airspace for Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after his failed trip to Serbia as “hostile action”. “Undoubtedly, such hostile actions towards our country, towards high-ranking representatives of our country, can cause certain problems and lead to the schedule of these contacts being postponed for some time,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to the Interfax news agency.
Lavrov reacted with outrage on Monday and spoke of a “scandal”. Lavrov, like President Vladimir Putin, is subject to Western sanctions because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “The unthinkable happened,” Lavrov said at an online press conference. “A sovereign state has been deprived of the right to conduct foreign policy.”
Lavrov had to cancel his trip to Belgrade because Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia denied the minister’s government plane overflight rights. Lavrov is on the EU sanctions list because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Moscow was satisfied with the course of the war itself. The Kremlin is “optimistic” about the development of the “military special operation in Ukraine,” said Peskov. Moscow describes the war against the neighboring country only as a special military operation.
11.14 a.m .: According to a media report, the federal government wants to enable around 70 Russian dissidents to stay in Germany permanently. The Russian journalists critical of the Kremlin, who fled to Germany with a 90-day Schengen visa after the Russian attack on Ukraine, should be able to live and work permanently in Germany, the “Spiegel” reported on Monday, citing government circles. Your short-term visas should be converted to long-term visas.
According to the report, the federal government is in talks with the interior authorities of the states of Berlin and Saxony, among others. A report by the Russian Experts Task Force for the Federal Cabinet meeting next Wednesday states that “the Federal Government is committed to ensuring that dissident cultural and media workers from the Russian Federation, who have entered the country on a Schengen visa and are now staying in want to stay in Germany to continue their work here, can obtain a residence permit for the purpose of employment in the federal territory.”
The living costs of the dissidents should be covered by grants for the time being. These should initially be valid for one year. However, they could be extended if the dissidents have not found a job by the end of the year or are not yet able to make a living from self-employed work. The scholarships should be financed from the budget of Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens), around three and a half million euros are estimated for this. According to the report, three organizations will host the scholarships: Reporters Without Borders, Media in Cooperation and Transition (MICT) and the Schöpflin Foundation.
10:25 a.m .: According to a media report, the Russian leadership has agreed a scheme with Kyiv and Ankara to release grain deliveries from the previously blocked Black Sea port of Odessa. “In the sovereign waters of the neighboring country, the Turkish military will take over the mine clearance and they will also accompany the ships to neutral waters,” the Kremlin-affiliated daily “Isvestia” described the planned process on Monday, citing government circles. Later, Russian warships would escort the grain carriers to the Bosphorus.
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has led to massive turbulence on world markets and driven up food prices. Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters in the world. The Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports had therefore led to fears of famine, especially in poor African countries.
Most recently, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin received the President of the African Union (AU) and Senegal, Macky Sall. While Putin denied Russia was responsible for the food crisis, he showed his willingness to facilitate grain deliveries.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to hold talks in Ankara on Wednesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov had already confirmed in advance that the issue of grain deliveries from Ukraine would be discussed. According to the newspaper report, the scheme should be coordinated there in detail and then officially approved. So far, such a release has only been agreed for Odessa.
03:05: Despite warnings from Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin, Great Britain also wants to support Ukraine with the delivery of long-range missile systems. The Ministry of Defense in London announced on Monday that the delivery of the US-made multiple rocket launcher artillery system (MLRS) to Ukraine was closely coordinated with the government in Washington.
The British Ministry of Defense emphasized that the planned delivery of the M270 multiple rocket launchers means “a significant boost to the capabilities of the Ukrainian army”. The weapon system can hit targets up to 80 kilometers away with precision-guided missiles. Great Britain also wants to train Ukrainian soldiers in the use of the new weapon system.
The United States announced last week that it would deliver its Himar mobile artillery missile system to Ukraine, which can launch several precision-guided missiles at the same time and surpasses previous Ukrainian weapon systems in terms of range and precision. According to military experts, its range of up to 80 kilometers is slightly greater than that of similar Russian systems, allowing Kiev forces to hit enemy artillery without getting within range.
Monday, June 6, 12:00 a.m.: According to information from Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cannot travel to Serbia on a planned two-day visit this Monday because he did not have a flight permit. According to the Russian agency Interfax, a high-ranking ministry official confirmed a corresponding Serbian media report on Sunday, according to which Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro had not given permission for the Russian government aircraft to fly over. Lavrov is under Western sanctions over Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In addition, European airspace is closed to Russian aircraft.
The minister wanted to meet with the Serbian leadership to talk about supplying the country with Russian energy. When asked whether the visit had been cancelled, the ministry official replied: “Diplomacy has not yet acquired the ability to beam.” Serbian media had previously reported on the cancellation of Lavrov’s visit to Belgrade because there was no overflight permit. On Sunday, Lavrov surprisingly invited foreign journalists to a press conference this Monday.
11:51 p.m .: According to a report in the newspaper “El País”, Spain wants to deliver German Leopard 2 A4 battle tanks and anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. The newspaper wrote on Sunday, citing information from the Defense Ministry in Madrid, that these were mothballed tanks that had to be prepared for use first. The training of Ukrainian soldiers on the tanks should first take place in Latvia and later in Spain. The German Press Agency asked the ministry for a statement on the report, but there was still no response.
It would be the first time that Ukraine would receive modern Western tanks in a fight against the Russian army. In Germany, politicians from the ruling SPD party have so far emphasized that there is an informal agreement between the NATO countries not to supply such weapons. According to the newspaper report, around 40 of the 108 Leopard tanks that Spain bought second-hand in Germany in 1995 could be made operational again.
8:44 p.m .: Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bulgaria want to refuse Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the overflight to Serbia. Lavrov was due to travel to Serbia earlier in the week. According to the Serbian newspaper “Novosti”, the three countries want to ban the foreign minister from flying over their borders. There is no official confirmation for this. However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has publicly announced that things are complicated in connection with the foreign minister’s planned arrival.
4:48 p.m .: The Russian embassy in Stockholm, Sweden seems to have little financial leeway due to the EU sanctions imposed on Russia. In a joint application with the Russian consulate in Gothenburg, the embassy submitted an application via the Swedish “Kommerskollegium” (equivalent to the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control) to be allowed to withdraw money from a Russian account. This is reported by the Swedish newspaper Expressen. It is safe to assume that other Russian embassies in Europe are facing the same financial problems.
Usually, the embassy and consulate cover their expenses from accounts in Russia’s VTB bank, which is blocked due to sanctions. Embassies are allowed to give up to 100.00 euros – but apparently the embassy in Sweden needs much more. According to the newspaper, it should be several hundred thousand euros. In the letter of application she lists, among other things, money for electricity and water, internet, salaries and heating oil. At the same time, the embassy announced that it intends to withdraw the funds in Swedish kronor and US dollars. In addition, the embassy wrote explicitly that the application should remain secret from the Swedish press.
1:06 p.m .: Pope Francis called for an end to violence in Ukraine at Pentecost. “As the fury of destruction and dying runs rampant and antagonisms flare up and fuel an ever more dangerous escalation for all, I reiterate my appeal to the leaders of nations: Please do not plunge humanity into misery,” said the 85-year-old leader of the United Nations Catholic Church on Sunday after the Regina Coeli midday prayer in front of numerous believers in Rome.
The Pope called for concrete negotiations to begin for a ceasefire and a lasting solution. “Hear the desperate cry of the people who are suffering,” said the Argentine, demanding that the destruction of towns and villages be stopped.
The Holy Father did not address the war party Russia, and as before did not name them. Since the outbreak of war on February 24, the Vatican has been trying to mediate. In his own words, Pope Francis is also ready to travel to Ukraine – if the moment is right.
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