The Ukraine Crisis: Prime Minister Zelenskyy is in Germany for the first time since the war-bega — a visit by Steinmeier and Scholz
While German leaders have expressed strong backing for Ukraine, German voters are divided on whether the country should provide further weapons, particularly advanced fighter jets of the kind Kyiv is asking its allies for.
Since then, both Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have visited Ukraine, assuring Zelenskyy of their support for his country’s fight against the Russian invasion. The new arms package was announced by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
After meeting Scholz and other senior officials at the chancellery, the two leaders are expected to fly to the western city of Aachen for Zelenskyy to receive the International Charlemagne Prize awarded to him and the people of Ukraine.
The organizers of the award believe that the resistance against Russia’s invasion is a defense not just of their country’s sovereignty, but also of Europe and European values.
Zelenskyy thanked Scholz for Germany’s political, financial and military support, saying the country is now second only behind the United States in providing aid to Ukraine — and joked that he is working to make it the biggest donor.
It is his first visit to Berlin since the start of the war and comes a day after the German government announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth more than 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition.
The Ukrainian president is on a visit to allies in order to find more arms to help his country fight off the Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy said that they were planning a counteraction to the illegally held areas based on their recognized legitimate borders.
“We have neither the time nor the strength (to attack Russia),” he said, according to an official interpreter. “And we also don’t have weapons to spare, with which we could do this.”
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/14/1176057374/ukraines-president-zelenskyy-is-in-germany-for-the-first-time-since-the-war-bega
State of Ukraine: NPR’s View of Ukraine’s Struggle for Freedom and Freedom of Areas in the Russian Preferred Regime
There has been speculation that Ukraine might try to capture areas in Russia proper and use them as bargaining chips in possible peace negotiations to end the war launched by Moscow in February 2022.
Zelenskyy said during a news conference that the goal is to free the territories within its internationally recognized borders.
You can read about previous recaps here. You can find more of NPR’s coverage here. You can get updates throughout the day by listening to NPR’s State of Ukraine.
The ongoing war in Ukranian prevented Britain from hosting the annual song contest, but that did not stop them from hosting last year. Swedish singer Loreen won.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia now has over 5000 nuclear warheads. Some of the weapons are going to be retired but many are assigned to long- or shorter-range use.
The fate of Ukraine: Trump’s “real war” against Russia and the latest journalist journalist killed in Ukrainian-Media-journalist-crime
Former President Donald Trump claimed he would quickly end the war in Ukraine without committing to help Ukraine, if elected next year, in a CNN town hall. It set up a potential preview of a stark choice for U.S. voters in next year’s election compared with the Biden administration’s “unprecedented” levels of aid to Ukraine. Concerns about losing American support were dismissed by Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian forces took back part of Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that’s been the site of the war’s longest battle. The Ukrainian military said they regained more than a mile of territory from Russian forces.
Putin assailed the West for unleashing a “real war” against Russia in a Victory Day address, trying to link the fight in Ukraine with the anniversary of the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany.
Ben Wallace, British defense minister, told parliament that Storm Shadow missiles were delivered to Ukranian and would push back Russian forces.
Zelenskyy said his country needs more time to launch a planned counteroffensive until more promised Western military aid arrives, in an interview with a European broadcasters’ network earlier last week.
Agence France-Presse journalist Arman Soldin died while covering the conflict in eastern Ukraine. French prosecutors are looking into war crimes. This followed the killing of a Ukrainian reporter in April — the latest of 15 media workers killed in 14 1/2 months of war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/15/1174956698/russia-ukraine-war-news
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy: a whirlwind Europe tour with a diplomatic focus on war and the Copenhagen Democracy Summit
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy took a whirlwind Europe tour, visiting Italy and the Vatican, Germany and France last week, and on Monday Britain. He met with Pope Francis and had his picture taken with the leader of each country. On Monday, he made a trip to the United Kingdom for the second time this year.
The Copenhagen Democracy Summit this week will discuss the war in Ukraine, among other topics, and features a list of speakers including NATO head Jens Stoltenberg and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A special envoy from the Chinese government will be heading to Poland, France, Germany and Russia this week to talk with them about a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine.