Dhe recent jokes at the G7 summit over the shirtless photos of Vladimir Putin did not go down well with the Kremlin chief. If the G7 leaders had exposed themselves, it would have been a “disgusting sight,” the Russian president told journalists in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat on Wednesday.
The conversation Putin touched on happened at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria on Sunday afternoon. In view of the high temperatures, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked whether jackets were to be taken off or not, and added: “We all have to show that we are tougher than Putin.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau replied, among other things: Riding naked Upper body, you have to do that. He alluded to a well-known photo of Putin in such a pose.
“I don’t know how they wanted to undress, above or below the waistline. I think it would have been a disgusting sight in any case,” Putin was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Tass.
Vladimir Putin fishing in 2017
Source: pa/Alexei Nikolsky/TASS/dpa
For the harmony between body and soul you have to do sports, not drink too much alcohol and give up other bad habits, Putin instructed the heads of state and government of the leading democratic industrialized countries. Until the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which belongs to Ukraine, in 2014, Russia was a participant in the expanded G-8 summits.
All developments in the live ticker:
05:00 – Kaliningrad dispute: Lithuania accuses Russia of disinformation
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda sees Moscow’s complaints about transit restrictions for Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad as part of a disinformation campaign. “Russia is trying to use this opportunity to create a propaganda bubble and of course trying to scare us, to threaten us,” Nauseda told the German Press Agency in Vilnius.
But don’t let that intimidate you. “We are not afraid for our security.” Lithuania trusts in the NATO states’ obligation to provide assistance and in the strength of the military alliance as a collective defense alliance. In mid-June, Lithuania banned the rail transit of some goods across its territory to the area around Kaliningrad – formerly Koenigsberg – that are on Western sanctions lists. Russia criticized the restrictions as “illegal” and threatened countermeasures.
“The real story is that this is a matter between the European Commission and Russia,” Nauseda said. Lithuania only meets the requirements of the EU sanctions policy and the rules set by the European Commission.
After the sharp criticism from Russia, the EU announced a review of import and export restrictions. “We are in close coordination with the European Commission, which is expected to announce guidance on the treatment of these goods in transit in a few days,” Nauseda said. He did not want to speculate about the possible result. “We want to emphasize, and this is our position, that there should not be a green corridor for special goods,” said the head of state.
01:55 – US soldier in eastern Ukraine denies allegations
A former US soldier captured in eastern Ukraine says he did not fire during the fighting. “I didn’t fire a shot,” the man, who is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, said in a video interview distributed by the Russian state news agency RIA. “My combat experience here was a single mission in a single day,” he said. Two British citizens and a Moroccan had been sentenced to death in the pro-Russian separatist region of Donetsk. The Russian side sees foreign fighters as mercenaries who are not protected as prisoners of war by the Geneva Convention.
12:02 a.m. – Energy and water management requires more space for wind power
The Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) is calling on the federal government to provide significantly more space for wind turbine development. In the “Bild” newspaper (Thursday), BDEW General Manager Kerstin Andreae spoke out in favor of raising the area target from the previous two percent to up to four percent. “In order for the target of two percent to actually be achieved, the planned area target of two percent should be increased by a further one to two percentage points in order to compensate early on for the loss of usable area as part of the approval process,” said Andreae.
The head of the association emphasized that the BDEW welcomes a binding area target for wind energy. This is “an important step towards more domestic energy and more climate protection,” said Andreae. The federal government has agreed that by 2032 two percent of the federal area should be available for wind turbines.
In most countries, the planned area targets are missed by far. According to the federal government, 0.8 percent of the state area was recently designated for onshore wind energy nationwide, but only 0.5 percent is actually available.
10:43 p.m. – Zelenskyi announces breaking of diplomatic relations with Syria
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine will break off diplomatic relations with Syria. “There will be no more relations between Ukraine and Syria,” Zelenskyy said in a video message on Telegram on Wednesday evening. Damascus had previously recognized the pro-Russian self-proclaimed “People’s Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
This made Syria the first country after Russia to recognize the two separatist areas. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 21 that Russia would recognize the two separatist republics. Three days later, on February 24, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began.
Syria’s decision is an “insignificant story,” said Zelenskyy. However, he warned that “sanction pressure” on Russia’s ally Damascus would only increase.
In 2018, like Russia before it, Syria also recognized the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia. Syria and Russia have been allies for decades. Since 2015, Moscow has also supported the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in his country’s civil war.
10:00 p.m. – State broadcaster: Athens wants to buy F-35 stealth bombers in the USA
Greece wants to buy 20 F-35 stealth bombers from the US. The application (letter of request) should be sent to Washington next month, state radio reported on Wednesday, citing government circles. The program is estimated to cost around 3.5 billion euros. The first stealth jets should therefore be delivered in 2028.
Greece has already ordered three French frigates and 24 French Rafale fighter-bombers. The first six jets have already been delivered. According to the Ministry of Defense in Athens, French corvettes should also be ordered in the coming weeks.
The reason for the largest Greek rearmament program in decades is also the tense relationship with NATO partner Turkey. Ankara has been questioning Greece’s sovereignty over Greek islands in the Aegean for months.