12.42 p.m .: Thuringia’s President for the Protection of the Constitution warns of Russian acts of sabotage
The President of the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Stephan Kramer, has warned of security risks for Germany due to the Ukraine war. The behavior of Russian President Vladimir Putin is “in view of his dwindling options less and less predictable and calculable,” Kramer told the “Handelsblatt”: “We are therefore increasingly crossing the line from indirect war to direct participation in the war against Russia.”
It depends on how Moscow evaluates the West’s support for Ukraine, such as arms deliveries. “Sooner or later we will become a direct target of Russia’s attack,” said Kramer. He already thinks it is realistic that, in addition to cyber attacks by Russian hackers, there could also be “analogue attacks in the sense of acts of sabotage.” He thinks “of the vulnerable areas of our energy supply, transport, communication, health” as well as supply and production chains. The analogous threat situation for the oil, gas and chemical industry should not be underestimated either.
12.36 p.m .: Brandenburg Gate shines in Ukrainian colors
The federal government, together with the city of Berlin, decided to illuminate the Brandenburg Gate in the Ukrainian colors of blue and yellow in the evening hours of May 9th. The reason for this is today’s Europe Day, said Deputy Government Spokesman Wolfgang Büchner. “This sign of solidarity goes back to an initiative of the French Presidency,” he added. In the individual EU countries, individual buildings would each shine in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. He said: “Our signal is very clear, the European Union stands by Ukraine and its people.”
12:27 p.m .: Federal government – oil embargo could be decided soon
According to the federal government, an oil embargo in a new EU sanctions package against Russia could come quickly. The talks are at an advanced stage, and the federal government believes they could be concluded soon, said a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office. The European Union is currently struggling for exemptions for several Eastern European countries, which are rejecting an embargo proposed by the EU Commission until the end of the year.
12:14 p.m .: Baerbock dampens expectations of Ukraine’s rapid EU accession
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is dampening expectations that Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, will soon join the EU. The Greens politician reiterated in Frankfurt an der Oder: “Ukraine belongs to the house of Europe.” But when asked about joining the EU, she added: “We don’t know when the step can be taken and how it can be done because they are in a terrible war right now.”
After the Russian attack on February 24, Ukraine had asked for quick accession to the European Union and had already submitted documents that could form the basis for accession talks. Baerbock had already expressed reservations about the application for membership at the end of February, pointing out that such a procedure usually takes years.
12.05 p.m .: Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats decide on May 15 whether to join NATO
On May 15, Sweden’s governing Social Democrats will decide whether to give up their decades-long opposition to NATO membership. The party said it has not yet been decided what the decision will be. If the Social Democrats endorsed NATO membership, Sweden would almost certainly apply to join the military alliance.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a rethinking of security policy not only in Sweden but also in Finland. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is expected to declare his support for his country’s application for membership on May 12. Formal applications for membership could be made at the NATO summit in Madrid in June and dealt with more quickly.
12:03 p.m .: Göring-Eckardt calls for more weapons for Ukraine
Bundestag Vice-President Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) does not consider the previous arms deliveries to Ukraine to be sufficient. “I think that’s not enough for Ukraine at the moment and we have to do everything we can to deliver everything that we can somehow deliver together with our European partners,” said Göring-Eckardt on RTL / ntv. It must be ensured that Ukraine is prepared “in this fight against Putin”: “Either directly or by exchanging rings, whatever.”
“Heavy weapons must be delivered, I think that’s very important,” said the Green politician. Göring-Eckardt traveled to Moldova in the past few days and spoke to representatives of Ukraine, among others.
11.50 a.m .: British defense secretary considers victory for Ukraine to be likely
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace says Ukraine’s victory against the Russian military is very likely. He urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to terms with the fact that Russia has lost in the long run. It is very possible that Ukraine will crush the Russian army to the point where it will either have to retreat to pre-February positions or truly regroup, Wallace said at the National Army Museum in London. Referring to Putin, Wallace added: “He has to accept that he lost in the long run, and he absolutely lost. Russia isn’t what it used to be.”
11:38 a.m .: Scholz was not invited to the celebrations in Moscow
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) did not receive an invitation to the Russian celebrations marking the end of the Second World War in Europe this year. “No invitation was sent to the Federal Chancellor from the Russian side,” the Federal Press Office said.
In 2005, Gerhard Schröder was the first Chancellor to take part in the May 9 parade. In 2010, Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Moscow to attend the celebrations. Merkel was also invited to the Russian capital in 2015. At that time, however, she did not travel on the actual memorial day, May 9, but a day later because of Moscow’s support for Russian separatists in Ukraine.
11:12 a.m .: Satellite images show the destruction of a school in the Luhansk region
Satellite images analyzed by the AP news agency show the destruction of a school in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. It was feared that around 60 people were killed in the Russian airstrike on the building. Planet Labs PBC footage released on Saturday shows the school in the village of Bilohorivka intact before the attack. A photo taken on Sunday shows the building has been leveled.
11:03 a.m .: Russian negotiator – talks with Ukraine continue
According to Russia, the peace talks with Ukraine are continuing. The Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told the Interfax news agency that they were not ended, but would be continued from afar. The Russian government has accused Ukraine of stalling the talks and using reports of atrocities by Russian soldiers to undermine the deliberations. Russia denies that it is targeting civilians in its so-called special military operation in Ukraine.
10:54 a.m .: Ukrainian military reports rocket hits in the Odessa region
According to the Ukrainian military, four rockets fell in the Odessa region in southern Ukraine. These are Onyx-type high-precision missiles that were launched from the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia. No further details were given.
10:52 a.m .: London warns of even greater destruction in the Ukraine war
The British military has warned of even greater destruction in the war in Ukraine given Russia’s dwindling supplies of precision-guided ammunition. The fact that Russia is running out of these ammunition means Moscow will turn to increasingly inaccurate missiles and bombs that could lead to even more widespread destruction, the British Ministry of Defense tweeted. “As the conflict continues beyond Russia’s pre-war expectations, Russia’s stockpile of precision-guided munitions is likely to be severely depleted.”
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