live blog
Status: 02/16/2023 04:07 am
A tariff dispute with Slovakia is reportedly delaying arms aid to Kiev. France and China want to contribute to peace in Ukraine together. All developments in the live blog.
4:07 a.m
France and China want to contribute to peace in Ukraine together
According to the Elysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi pledged to joint efforts to end the Ukraine war at a meeting in Paris. Wang and Macron “expressed the same goal of contributing to peace while respecting international law,” the French presidential office said after the meeting.
Macron therefore expressed his hope that Beijing would put pressure on Russia to return to the “negotiating table”. However, the Elysée Palace did not provide any more detailed information on how France and China could contribute to a diplomatic solution.
4:07 a.m
Report: Customs dispute with Slovakia delays arms aid for Kiev
According to a media report, a customs dispute with Slovakia has been leading to considerable delays in the repair of rocket launchers and self-propelled howitzers that were delivered to Ukraine and used in the war against Russia. As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reports, several Mars rocket launchers stood for weeks on the Ukrainian-Slovakian border and finally had to be transported to Germany via Poland. They were therefore missing from Ukraine due to the detour of more than 2000 kilometers longer than planned.