live Ukraine war
Melnyk – Ukraine joining NATO would reduce risk of nuclear war
“Sweden and Finland bring enormous potential to NATO”
“The desire of the Finns and Sweden to join NATO is a clear defeat of Putin’s strategy,” says NATO General Horst Heinrich Brauss. Putin wanted to weaken the West, but is now strengthening it.
The Ukrainian ambassador wants Ukraine to be admitted to NATO as soon as possible. That would deter Putin from launching a nuclear attack on his country. Meanwhile, the US has appointed a new ambassador to Ukraine. More in the live ticker.
Dhe Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk believes that his country could join NATO just as quickly as that of Finland and Sweden. “One thing is clear: we want to join NATO quickly. This can happen just as quickly as in the case of Sweden or Finland. It would only take a purely political decision to quickly integrate Ukraine into the alliance,” Melnyk told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Thursday).
“If Ukraine were in the alliance, the risk of a nuclear war would decrease. Then Putin would know: If Ukraine were attacked with nuclear weapons, he would have to reckon with a nuclear retaliation. That would stop him.”
Because of the war, Finland and Sweden submitted their applications to join the Western Defense Alliance on Wednesday. Ideally, the two countries could already be members by the end of the year. However, there were initial delays due to reservations by Turkey.
Melnyk also believes that Ukraine’s EU membership within the next ten years is possible, he told the Funke newspapers. “The main thing for us now is to maintain candidate status. Then the negotiation process can begin. This is an important political decision.” He called on the federal government to “play a leading role in this historic process”.
All developments in the live ticker
5:37 am – US has reopened embassy in Kyiv
The US has reopened its embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv after a three-month closure. “We are officially resuming work at the US Embassy in Kyiv today,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday. The US flag was hoisted again at the embassy building. “The Ukrainian people, with our security support, defended their homeland against the ruthless Russian invasion, and as a result, the Stars and Stripes (US national flag) again flies over the embassy,” Blinken said.
Washington had closed its embassy in Kyiv ten days before the start of the February 24 Russian attack on Ukraine, temporarily relocating embassy activities first to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and then to Poland. After Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian offensive on the capital and its region, Western countries are gradually reopening their diplomatic missions in Kyiv.
04:29 am Senate confirms new US ambassador to Ukraine
After the US announced plans to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, the Senate confirmed career diplomat Bridget Brink as ambassador to Ukraine. The Chamber of Congress approved the personnel on Wednesday (local time) in Washington. The State Department had previously announced that the US embassy in the Ukrainian capital, which was closed due to the Russian war of aggression, will resume operations. The US diplomats left their embassy in Kyiv two weeks before the war broke out. They went to Poland, sometimes with a stop in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Brink was previously the US envoy to Slovakia. Previously, she had worked at the State Department in Washington as an expert on Eastern Europe and the Caucasus and as Deputy Ambassador to Uzbekistan and Georgia.
10:08 pm Zelenskyj adviser: 90 more days of martial law is honest
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Oleksiy Arestovych has justified the planned extension of martial law by 90 days into August. The war started by Russia will last until autumn, Arestovych said on Ukrainian television on Wednesday. The Ukrainian population is only being given false hope if martial law is only ever extended by 30 days, as has been the case up to now. Honest communication with society is necessary in war, said the advisor, who primarily speaks out on military issues.
9:34 p.m. – Croatia’s president also sets conditions for NATO’s northern expansion
Turkey can count on support in Croatia in its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. “Turkey will negotiate a high price for its NATO status,” said President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday. Croatia should follow this example.
The socialist Milanovic wants the electoral law in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina to be changed in favor of the Croats living there before the Croatian parliament ratifies Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership. He is also at odds with conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on domestic policy issues. However, Plenkovic’s governing party has a narrow majority in parliament ahead of the Socialists and could therefore push through a vote on NATO expansion.
6:32 p.m. – Zelenskyj wants to extend martial law by 90 days
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to have the martial law imposed because of the Russian invasion and the ordered mobilization extended by three months. The corresponding draft laws were published on Wednesday. After the confirmation by the deputies, which is considered certain, the state of war will apply until August 23. A day later, Ukraine traditionally celebrates its Independence Day.
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Oleksiy Arestovych justified the extension. The war started by Russia will last until autumn, Arestovych said on Ukrainian television on Wednesday. The Ukrainian population is only being given false hope if martial law is only ever extended by 30 days, as has been the case up to now. Honest communication with society is necessary in war, said the advisor, who primarily speaks out on military issues. Experts see the duration of the state of war as an indicator of how long Kyiv is preparing for possible fighting.
Zelenskyi first declared the state of war on February 24 – a few hours after Russia’s attack – and then had it extended twice by 30 days each. The general mobilization, on the other hand, applied immediately for 90 days. Many experts see the duration of the state of war as an indicator of how long Kyiv is currently preparing for possible fighting.