live blog
Federal Environment Minister Lemke traveled to Kiev to discuss the war-related consequences for the environment. Ukrainian President Zelenskyj thanked the USA for further announced aid. The developments in the live blog.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has made it clear that the current escalation in the Middle East following the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Hamas will not lead to restrictions on German support for Ukraine. “I don’t see any competition between countries for military equipment,” Pistorius told Handelsblatt. In any case, Israel is “very well equipped.”
Ukraine and Israel also face very different opponents and therefore have different military needs, said the minister. He pointed out again that Germany is now Ukraine’s second largest supporter of arms supplies after the USA. This support will continue. “We are preparing for the war to last a long time,” said Pistorius.
The Ukrainian army says it has repelled a new Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. The Russian army is not giving up attempts to encircle the city, the Ukrainian General Staff said. However, our own troops could hold their defensive lines.
Russian troops last launched an attack on Avdiivka on October 10 and, according to Ukraine, suffered heavy losses. Avdiivka is located 13 kilometers north of Donetsk.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanked US President Joe Biden for the promised new billion-dollar aid package. The US’s unwavering support is “incredibly encouraging for all our fighters and our entire nation,” Zelensky wrote on the online platform X. “America’s investment in Ukrainian security will ensure long-term security for all of Europe and the world,” he said Ukrainian head of state.
Biden had previously announced in a speech that he would apply to the US Congress for aid for Ukraine and Israel. However, he did not mention a sum. Biden emphasized that the US could not and would not allow terrorists like Hamas or tyrants like Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to win.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke traveled to the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The talks will mainly focus on the reconstruction of the country and the damage caused by the war, which also has a negative impact on the environment, said the Green politician after her arrival. The main issues are destroyed drinking water and wastewater systems, heat supply and the handling of waste. When aiming to rebuild the infrastructure, environmental and climate aspects should be taken into account from the outset.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression with Western support for almost 20 months. The fighting also caused major environmental damage. Among other things, a dam on the lower reaches of the Dnipro River was destroyed. At the time, Kiev spoke of the biggest environmental disaster in decades in the region, which is important for agriculture.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected US claims that Russia received military equipment from North Korea. The Russian news agency Tass quoted him as saying that these were just “rumors”.
The US government said a few days ago that North Korea had apparently recently supplied Russia with weapons and described this as a “worrying development”.
In its daily published assessment of the course of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense speaks of successful attacks by Ukrainian troops on Russian helicopter bases. These meant serious setbacks for Russia’s army.
Nine attack helicopters were probably destroyed in Berdyansk, southern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said the base served the Russians as an important base for their operations along the southern front. “If confirmed, these losses will most likely impact Russia’s ability to defend this axis and conduct further offensive activities,” the assessment said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba expects further deliveries of ATACMS missiles from the USA. Kremlin leader Putin has accused the IOC of “ethnic discrimination” against Russian athletes. Thursday’s developments to read.