France supplies main battle tanks to Ukraine. Germany should do the same, members of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s traffic light coalition are demanding. The news ticker.
+++ 2.10 p.m.: Russian President Putin has again stressed his readiness for peace talks as soon as Ukraine recognizes Russia’s annexation of large parts of the country. The news agency reports AFP. Russia considers the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporichzhia and Kherson to be its territories, although this corresponds neither to the military reality nor to international law. Ukraine should also officially give up the occupied Crimean Peninsula. Putin has stressed to Turkish President Erdogan that Russia is open to serious peace talks if Kyiv accepts this condition.
Ukraine receives main battle tanks from France – pressure on Scholz is growing
+++ 12.15 p.m.: France’s decision to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine has angered the traffic light coalition. Defense politicians from the FDP and Greens demanded from the Chancellor Olaf Scholz, now also to make Leopard main battle tanks available to Ukraine. “The argument constantly advanced by the Federal Chancellery that Germany should not go it alone is absolutely passé,” Strack-Zimmermann told the news agency AFP. The Greens defense expert Sara Nanni made a similar statement. “We should make available to Ukraine what is feasible, including leopards and martens from industrial stocks,” said Nanni Süddeutsche Zeitung. “The decision from France is good,” says Nanni.
+++ 11.00 a.m.: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Wladimir Putinto underpin its peace efforts with a unilateral ceasefire. On this basis, the conflicting parties could then develop a “vision for a fair solution,” said Erdogan, according to the news agency Reuters. Putin and Erdogan spoke on the phone on Wednesday.
Update from January 5, 08:55: France now also wants to supply “light battle tanks” to Ukraine for the fight against Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron assured his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskyy of this, the French government announced. Specifically, it is about the AMX-10 RC scout tank. It is not yet clear how many models Ukraine will receive. According to the French government, these are the first main battle tanks to be delivered to Kyiv from the west.
Baerbock calls for solidarity with Ukraine in the fight against Russia
+++ 8.20 p.m.: foreign minister Annalena Bärbock called on Europe and the West to continue to stand close and in solidarity with Ukraine in 2023. In view of the Russian aggression, the strongest reaction lies in the joint response of the partners, the Greens politician said on Wednesday (January 4) at a conference in Lisbon. The greatest wish for the new year is peace in 2023.
At the same time, Baerbock sharply criticized the Russian attacks on Ukraine over the holidays. Now is not the time for theoretical questions. In view of the turning point, all partners would have to sit down to see how the problems could be solved together. The minister spoke out in favor of pragmatic solutions in the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
Russian diplomat: North Korea ‘strongly supports’ Ukraine war
+++ 5.30 p.m.: A senior Russian diplomat has praised North Korea for “firmly” supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which has found few supporters in the international community. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told the state news agency mugthat Pyongyang’s support for the Kremlin’s attack on its neighbor will contribute to further cooperation between the two countries. “North Korea was among the countries that have strongly supported the Russian Federation’s decision to conduct a military special operation in Ukraine, including at the United Nations,” Rudenko said.
Joint decision: Russia and China want to work more closely together
Update from January 4, 4:05 p.m.: China and Russia have made a joint decision to strengthen their cooperation in the new year. Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin late last month. While Xi stressed China’s “objective and just” stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine — a war Beijing neither condemns nor supports — both leaders reiterated their desire to further expand ties until 2023. For his part, Putin also invited Xi to visit Moscow in the spring.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry told reporters on Tuesday (January 3) when asked whether such plans had already been launched that “China and Russia, as strategic partners, are committed to building a new type of relationship that will evolve.” characterized by mutual respect and a cooperation that benefits both sides”.
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Erdoğan talks to Putin and Zelenskyy
First report from Wednesday, January 4th: Ankara – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wants to join his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin on the phone. This was announced by Ibrahim Kalin, an advisor to the Turkish President, on Tuesday (January 3) on Turkish television.
Kalin gave no further details on what Erdoğan wants to talk about. Russian media had already announced the plans for a telephone conversation between the presidents of the Turkey and of Russia reported. Erdoğan last spoke to Zelenskyy on December 11, when she was discussing Turkey’s humanitarian aid to the Ukraine, the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and discussed a peace.
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Turkey sees itself in the role of a mediator
Turkey has refused to impose sanctions on the Russian Federation since the invasion began, saying its role is that of a mediator between the two sides in the conflict. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in early December that Ankara expected a “clearer picture” of a possible ceasefire in Turkey by spring 2023 Ukraine war or a return to the negotiating table. (cas)