live ticker Ukraine war
FDP politician Strack-Zimmermann calls Putin a “mass murderer”
Stoltenberg warns Scholz – “It needs new ammunition, spare parts and maintenance”
During his visit to Berlin, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg made a specific request: to deliver not only weapon systems, but also ammunition to Ukraine. In principle, however, the NATO chief is very satisfied with Germany’s contribution to the crisis. That doesn’t go down well in Moscow.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann suspects that Putin wants “total war”. The Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wants to reduce the influence of the Church in his country, because the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill supports the war against Ukraine. More in the live ticker.
Dhe FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann assumes that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to completely annihilate Ukraine. “If Ukraine stops fighting today, it will be off the map. The complete destruction of Ukraine is what Putin announced,” says the politician in a podcast.
She warns: “There was once a criminal on this earth who asked people: Do you want total war? And Putin wants this total war because he wants to destroy Ukraine.” It is “boundlessly naïve” to believe that one can simply negotiate with him. “You can only enter into discussions out of strength.” That’s why she argues with the intellectuals. They would always think: we have to talk to each other. That is always correct. “If there’s a crash somewhere and there’s stress, you talk to each other. This is the essence of a cultivated argument. But here we are dealing with a mass murderer who wants to completely destroy another country. Then this argument no longer applies.”
All developments in the live ticker:
5:30 a.m. – Most of the craft businesses have had less sales since the beginning of the war
According to a survey, three out of five craft businesses are affected by lost sales in connection with the Ukraine war. This was the result of a survey conducted by the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) together with the chambers of crafts and trade associations between November 22nd and 28th, 2022 among more than 3000 craft businesses.
According to the results, the food trade is most affected – 80 percent of the companies stated that they had falling sales. In the automotive sector as well as in private service and health trades it is around 70 percent each. According to half of all respondents, the declines are due to customers buying less. One in four companies stated that orders were canceled due to increased procurement and energy costs. Multiple answers were possible.
05:20 – Zelenskyi Advisor: Up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed
According to a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been killed in the fight against Russia. There are official estimates by the general staff – “and these assume 10,000 to 13,000 dead,” said Mykhailo Podoliak. Selenskyj will give the exact numbers “when the right moment has come”.
02:47 am – Zelenskyy wants to take action against religious groups with ties to Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to restrict the activities of religious organizations and groups with ties to Russia. This was intended to prevent “subversive activities by the Russian secret service in the religious field,” the head of state announced in his evening video address. A corresponding draft law should be submitted to Parliament and passed by it.
Just last week, the Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU reported that it had confiscated “pro-Russian literature” and cash during raids on several Orthodox monasteries because of possible links to Russia. According to the information, a total of more than 350 church buildings were searched, including the Lavra Pechersk cave monastery in the capital Kyiv, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
1:19 am – Biden is willing to hold talks with Putin under conditions
US President Joe Biden is ready to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin if he agrees to end the war in Ukraine. “Let me choose my words very carefully,” Biden said at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington. “I’m ready to talk to Mr. Putin if he actually shows an interest in finding a way to end the war. He hasn’t done that yet.”
However, he will not speak to Putin alone, but only in consultation with the NATO allies. He will not do anything that harms Ukraine’s interests. Meanwhile, Biden’s state guest Emmanuel Macron said he would remain in talks with the Russian president to prevent an escalation and to achieve specific goals, such as protecting nuclear power plants.
12:10 a.m. – Selenskyj takes action against the Russian Church
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to stop the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church on spiritual life in his country. Ukraine must also defend its independence in the religious field, said the head of state in a video message distributed in Kyiv on Thursday evening. “We will never allow anyone to create an empire within the Ukrainian soul.” The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church has traditionally had strong influence in Ukraine and claims numerous sanctuaries there.
At a meeting of the National Security Council, numerous facts about the connections of religious circles with the aggressor state Russia were discussed, Zelenskyj said. Parliament should now draw up a law that would ban religious organizations from having links with centers of influence in the Russian Federation. In addition, the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be checked by an expert report for connections to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Moscow’s Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill supports Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s war against the neighboring country. The Church claims to protect Russian Orthodox Christians from attacks by Ukrainian nationalists. Russia also accuses Ukraine of restricting freedom of religion.
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