Nato General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg rules out the military alliance becoming actively involved in the Ukraine war. In an interview with “Bild”, Stoltenberg says he understands the frustration of the Ukrainian president. “But NATO will not become a war party.” Stoltenberg emphasizes that the “invasion was Putin’s biggest mistake. He completely underestimated the courage of the Ukrainians and the unity and strength of NATO.” NATO supports Ukraine in numerous critical aspects. Member states are allowed to deliver weapons, they are vehemently in favor of sanctions and the Ukrainian army has been training for years.
Stoltenberg also agreed with Chancellor Olaf Scholz that the war must not escalate any further. There is also a direct line of communication between NATO commanders and the Russian military, said Stoltenberg. This is to prevent an accidental nuclear war. This would be used immediately if necessary.
All developments in the live ticker:
4:00 a.m. – Integration officer expects more Russian asylum seekers
According to the Federal Government Commissioner for Integration, Reem Alabali-Radovan, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is likely to lead to more asylum applications from Russian citizens in the medium term. “I think we have to expect that more asylum applications will be made by people from Russia,” she told the German Press Agency. Everyone in Germany has the right to apply for asylum, which of course also applies to Russian citizens. As with all other asylum applications, there will then be an individual assessment. “I am in contact with the Federal Ministry of the Interior to find out whether there will be any other specific steps,” she added.
In January, 172 people from the Russian Federation applied for asylum in Germany, and in February there were 187 applications. The Federal Ministry of the Interior did not register a significant increase in the numbers in March either. However, there are increasing reports of Russians who have left for Armenia, Georgia or the Baltic States since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
03:56 – Japan imposes more sanctions on Russia
Japan freezes the assets of other Russian individuals and organizations because of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. As the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Friday, citing the government, this affects, among other things, the head of the Russian military intelligence service GRU and the arms supplier Rosoboronexport.
Japan has now imposed sanctions on 95 Russian individuals and groups. The assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the central bank and Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko were also frozen.
02:10 – Japan and Australia impose further sanctions on Russia
Japan plans to impose further sanctions on 15 Russian individuals and nine organizations. This should also include the state arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Australia imposes further sanctions on the Russian Ministry of Finance and eleven other banks and government organizations.
“With the recent involvement of the Central Bank of Russia, Australia has now targeted all Russian government agencies responsible for issuing and servicing Russia’s sovereign debt,” said Secretary of State Marise Payne.
1:22 a.m. – Russia does not want to vote on the Ukraine resolution for the time being
For the time being, Russia will not vote in the UN Security Council on its draft resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The US and Albania have put pressure on other members to oppose the resolution, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebensia said on Thursday. However, he stressed that Russia would not withdraw its draft resolution. The US, France and Great Britain could veto the resolution if there is a majority for it at all.
Western states have criticized the Russian draft for not mentioning responsibility for the war Russia had unleashed. “If Russia is indeed concerned with the humanitarian crisis it created itself, it can simply stop its attacks on the people of Ukraine,” said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Nebensia announced that Russia would return to its allegations of US biological laboratories in Ukraine at Friday’s Security Council meeting. New documents will be submitted for this purpose. At the Security Council meeting a week ago, Nebensia made his allegations without any evidence. The US and Ukraine have repeatedly rejected them. According to Thomas-Greenfeld, the allegations could be part of an attempt by Russia to create a pretext for using chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.
00:45 – Ukrainians receive payments from abroad
PayPal is expanding its services to allow Ukrainian citizens and refugees to receive payments from abroad. According to Dan Schulman, the company’s CEO, in a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukrainians will be able to transfer funds from their PayPal accounts to eligible credit and debit cards. PayPal has suspended the fees for such transactions until June 30th. This is designed to allow all Ukrainians to receive money from friends and family members in the United States and elsewhere, and could also be used for government welfare transfers in the future.
00:23 – Canada’s admission program for Ukraine allows for up to three years of residency
Canada has announced a program for taking in Ukrainian war refugees, giving them the right to stay for up to three years. Immigration Secretary Sean Fraser announced on Thursday that the authorization process for emergency exits from Ukraine to Canada is now accessible. In order to receive a residence permit for Canada in an accelerated procedure, Ukrainians would have to fill out an online application and submit their biometric data, i.e. a passport photo and their fingerprints.
At the same time, Ukrainian refugees can apply for a permit to work or study in Canada free of charge. Many Ukrainians already live in Canada, especially in the center and west of the country.
11:10 p.m. – WHO reports dozens of attacks on hospitals in Ukraine
The World Health Organization has condemned attacks on hospitals in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, 43 attacks on hospitals and other medical facilities have been confirmed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the UN Security Council on Thursday. Twelve people were killed and 34 injured. The attacks endangered treatment and care and are a particular danger for heart patients, diabetics, cancer patients and people with AIDS and tuberculosis.
Tedros said the many people displaced by the fighting often live close together as they flee. This increases the risk of infections with corona, measles, pneumonia or polio. In psychiatric clinics and hospitals with long-term patients, medication, food and blankets are in short supply. So far, the WHO has sent 100 tons of medical supplies to Ukraine. With this, 4,500 trauma patients and 450,000 patients in basic medical treatment could be cared for for a month. A delivery with another 108 tons is being prepared. However, something else is important. “The life-saving medicine we need now is peace,” Tedros said.
11:30 p.m. – US President Biden calls Putin a “murderous dictator”
US President Joe Biden has called Russia’s President Putin a “murderous dictator”. Putin is “a pure criminal who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine,” Biden said in Washington on Thursday. “Putin is paying a high price for his aggression,” he said shortly afterwards.
Biden sharpened his tone even further on Wednesday, calling Putin a “war criminal.” The spokeswoman for the White House, Jen Psaki, said afterwards: “He spoke from his heart.” Biden now spoke of a “turning point in history” in view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. This only happens every few generations. “I think we’re in a real battle between autocracies and democracies and whether or not democracies can be preserved.”
The foreign ministers of the G7 countries have also sharply condemned the “indiscriminate attacks on civilians” by Russian troops in Ukraine. All those responsible for war crimes would be held accountable, they warned on Thursday after a video conference in which EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also took part.
Because of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “unprovoked and shameful war,” millions of people have been forced to flee, the statement said. The destruction of infrastructure, hospitals, theaters and schools also continues.
“Those responsible for war crimes, including the indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians, will be held accountable,” warned ministers from Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. In this context, they welcomed “the ongoing investigative and evidence-gathering work, also by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.”