live ticker Ukraine News
Baerbock calls mock referendums part of a Russian dictated peace
Selenskyj demands more weapons from Scholz
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Germany for more arms supplies. Specifically, it is about missile defense systems from Germany.
Foreign Minister Baerbock calls the Russian sham referendums “the opposite of free and fair elections”. After a phone call with Chancellor Scholz, Ukrainian President Selenskyj asked for more arms deliveries. More in the live ticker.
AMinistry of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock described the referendums in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine as part of a Russian dictated peace. In the mock referendums, people were sometimes forced to vote at gunpoint, said Baerbock at a conference on crisis prevention in Berlin. “This is the opposite of free and fair elections,” she criticizes. “As long as this Russian dictate applies in the occupied territories, no citizen is free and safe.”
All developments in the live ticker:
5:00 a.m. – Selenskyj asks Scholz for more weapons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Germany to continue supplying arms to Kyiv and to tighten up the planned eighth package of EU sanctions against Moscow. “On the subject of defense, I underlined our expectation of a missile defense system from Germany – thank you for your willingness to help with air defense,” said Zelenskyj on Wednesday in his daily video address after a phone call with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The EU’s new package of sanctions was also discussed during the meeting. “As of today, there is still something to add to the eighth package of sanctions,” he demanded.
In addition to the Scholz phone call, during which, according to Selensky, the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline was discussed, the Ukrainian President reported on other talks – and thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his mediation in the prisoner exchange and military cooperation . He thanked US President Joe Biden for the new military aid of over 1.1 billion dollars.
Despite the sham referendums in the regions occupied by Russia, Ukraine will not accept territorial losses and will reconquer its territory. He once again called on the Russian soldiers in Russian to flee – or to surrender. This is the only way they could save their lives, said the 44-year-old.
01:00 – Ukraine calls for more financial aid and tightening of sanctions
The Ukrainian government is pushing for more financial aid from the international community and tightening of sanctions against Russia. “Reconstruction has already started with Ukraine’s funds, but our budget under the conditions of war cannot finance all expenses alone, so we urgently need the support of Western partners,” Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Just to restore vital infrastructure, $17 billion would be needed this year and next. He also advocates further tightening of sanctions against Russia. “To be honest, it’s a disgrace that there are still large corporations in the West operating in the Russian Federation.” Frozen Russian assets in Europe, the US, Britain, Canada, Japan and other countries should be confiscated. “These assets should become the basis for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, not the money of German and European taxpayers.”
23:29 – Russian GDP falls significantly again in August
According to the Russian Ministry of Economy, the gross domestic product (GDP) in August fell by 4.1 percent compared to the same month last year. According to the authority, economic output fell by 4.3 percent in July. In the first eight months, GDP shrank by 1.5 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.
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