After a visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) sees opportunities for a solution at the negotiating table in the Ukraine war. According to the Kremlin on Wednesday, the 78-year-old expressed no interest in playing his own role as an intermediary. Despite continued criticism, Schröder continued to refuse to distance himself from Putin.
Schröder visited Putin again last week, but this was not known until now. In an interview with the magazine “Stern” and the broadcasters RTL and ntv, he described the recently reached agreement between the warring parties on grain exports from Ukraine as “the first success” that could perhaps “slowly be expanded into a ceasefire”. “The good news is that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution.” On Wednesday, the first ship with 26,000 tons of corn from Ukraine was able to pass through the Bosphorus Strait. Another 17 ships are waiting for permission in Ukraine.
Reading tip: Schröder twists the facts with shameless Putin propaganda
The Kremlin confirmed a “face-to-face meeting” between Schröder and Putin. When asked whether the SPD politician was being discussed as a mediator, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said: “Schröder has not expressed any desire to become a mediator.” Russia is quite ready for a diplomatic settlement of the “problem” – but only on Russian terms . Schröder himself justified himself with the words: “I have repeatedly condemned the war, you know that. But would personal distancing from Vladimir Putin really do anyone any good?”
The Ukrainian leadership believes statements by former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is ready for peace negotiations to be implausible. “There is nothing more cynical than the claims by Putin supporters that Russia is ready to negotiate,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on his Twitter channel on Wednesday. The daily shelling of Ukrainian territory said otherwise.
The Ukrainian chief diplomat referred to heavy artillery fire and rocket attacks against civilian objects. In addition, he once again accused the Russian military of serious war crimes. “Russia remains focused on the war – everything else is a cloud of smoke,” added Kuleba.
Skibitsky was asked how Ukraine manages to carry out such precise attacks with the Himars. His answer: “We use real-time information.” However, this does not come directly from the USA. However, Skibitsky said there were agreements with Washington before Himar missiles were fired – and that the United States had the right of veto if the specified target of the missiles did not suit them. He did not give any further details.
The Russian side took the statements as an admission of US involvement in the war. The US has delivered Himars systems to Ukraine. These are more accurate and have a longer range than the rocket launchers previously available to Ukraine.
Heavy fighting continues in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. In the east and south of the neighboring cities of Bakhmut and Soledar, Russian attacks were repelled in eight sections, the Ukrainian general staff said on Facebook on Wednesday. Russian troops have also attempted to attack five sectors in the north, east and south of the industrial city of Avdiivka, which is held by Ukrainian units. All were repelled. The information cannot be verified independently. Avdiivka is located in the immediate vicinity of Donetsk.
Along the entire front in the areas of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Cherson and Mykolaiv, Russian artillery fired on Ukrainian positions in dozens of places. According to the situation report, another Russian ground attack failed in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson. In addition, there is talk of massive Russian air strikes. Positions of the Ukrainian army in ten different towns are said to have been bombed.
The “Razoni”, loaded with around 26,000 tons of corn from Ukraine, entered the Bosporus Strait, which runs through Istanbul, from the Black Sea on Tuesday evening. The freighter dropped anchor there shortly after 9 p.m. local time. On Monday it was the first ship to leave the Ukrainian port of Odessa since the beginning of the war. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations will go on board for the inspection on Wednesday morning.
War opponents Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement separately with Turkey on July 22, through UN mediation, to allow grain exports from Ukraine from three ports. A coordination center in Istanbul is staffed by representatives of the four parties. Among other things, the inspections are intended to ensure that ships do not have any weapons loaded.
The Ukrainian army needs more weapons to defeat the Russian superiority in the Donbass, Zelenskyy said in his video address. He thanked the US for continuing to provide military aid. His army could inflict casualties on the attackers with Himar’s multiple rocket launchers. Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov confirmed on Tuesday the arrival of four more Himars units from the US and the German Mars multiple rocket launcher. “In fact, we still cannot completely break the advantage of the Russian army in terms of artillery and manpower,” said Zelenskyy. This was felt in the battles for Avdiivka, Pisky and other places. “It’s just hell.”
In the face of the Ukraine war, Russia has again stressed that the nuclear powers should “behave cautiously and responsibly”. “The Russian Federation firmly believes that a nuclear war cannot be won. And it must never be fought,” Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Arms Control Director Igor Vishnevetsky said Tuesday at the UN Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York, according to the speech.
Because of the war that has been going on for more than five months, Ukraine is dependent on foreign financial aid. The leadership in Kyiv accused Germany of blocking the payment of EU aid. “We expect eight billion euros. Unfortunately, some EU countries, including Germany, are blocking the consideration of this question,” Deputy Presidential Office Ihor Zhovka said, according to local media.
Zhovka explained that Kyiv has already received one billion euros of the nine billion euros in macro financial aid promised in May. According to information from the EU Commission, guarantees from member states may be necessary for the outstanding sum because a guarantee via the EU budget is not possible due to a lack of funds. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Finance rejected the statement: The federal government is not hindering any aid for Ukraine.
EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson has promised refugees who want to return from Ukraine that they can return to the EU at any time during the war. “You are always welcome back in the EU,” said the Swede on Tuesday during a visit to Kyiv. Shortly after the start of the Ukraine war in early March, the 27 EU countries decided to offer all Ukrainians protection quickly and unbureaucratically. They are allowed to move and work freely in the EU. According to the UN refugee agency, more than 3.7 million Ukrainians have already applied for this status. In total, more than six million people have fled Ukraine to other European countries. But many have already returned to their homeland.
Because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the US government is imposing new sanctions on oligarchs close to the Kremlin. Former gymnast Alina Kabaeva was also put on the criminal list. The 2004 Olympic champion now runs the large Russian media company NMG. The EU sees her “in close connection” with President Vladimir Putin. In the tabloids there is talk of a relationship between the two. Also on the list were three Ukrainians working for the Russian occupation.
This will be important today:
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will travel to Myanmar in Southeast Asia this Wednesday. Because of the war, Russia is isolated from most Western countries, but continues to pursue contacts in regions.
