live blog
Status: 01.05.2022 01:17 am
According to the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Melnyk, the German government’s commitment to the supply of Gepard tanks does not go far enough. 213,000 Ukrainian households are apparently currently without gas and heat. The developments in the live blog.
1:17 am
Loud heckling at Baerbock’s performance in Ahrensburg
During an election campaign in Ahrensburg near Hamburg, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock once again defended her support for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. “We want to help the people in Ukraine so that they can defend themselves against Putin’s war of aggression, which violates international law,” said the Green politician on Saturday in front of an audience of around 1,000.
“But what would it mean if we didn’t do anything? Would that mean one less bomb would fall? No,” she said. With her appearance, Baerbock provided campaign assistance for Monika Heinold, the Greens’ top candidate for the state elections in Schleswig-Holstein. A new state parliament will be elected there on May 8th.
According to the police, around 150 people tried to disrupt the event on the town hall square. They received Baerbock and Heinold with piercing sirens and shouts like “warmonger” and “liar”. According to the police, however, there were no incidents.
1:16 am
Chancellor Scholz defends his course
Chancellor Olaf Scholz defends his Ukraine policy against accusations that he is acting too hesitantly and fearfully in the face of Russian aggression. “I make my decisions quickly – and in coordination with our allies. I am suspicious of hasty action and German going it alone,” said the SPD politician to “Bild am Sonntag”.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz accused the chancellor of being anxious and hesitant about German arms deliveries to Kyiv this week. The Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk also called Scholz’s policy sluggish. “Olaf Scholz is probably doing it like Angela Merkel: just wait, watch and decide later – or not. What’s missing is imagination and courage,” he told “Bild am Sonntag” with a view to the German reaction to the invasion of the Russian army.
After the report, Scholz made it clear that he wanted to stick to his course. “I’m not scared enough to be impressed by such allegations,” he said. At the same time, he emphasized that harsh criticism of his decisions was legitimate. “In a democracy, it’s part of the opposition being tough on you. That’s what they’re there for.”
12:50 a.m
Melnyk calls for more arms deliveries to Ukraine
According to the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, the German government’s promise to deliver Gepard tanks to his home country does not go far enough. “The direction is right, but of course that won’t be enough,” says Melnyk of the “Bild am Sonntag”.
The Gepard tanks are 40 years old, “to defeat Russia, we need the most modern German weapons.” That’s why Ukraine wants “the speedy export of 88 Leopard tanks, 100 Marder tanks, self-propelled howitzers and much more,” said Melnyk.
“But a rethinking of people’s minds is crucial. We are experiencing the biggest war in Europe for 80 years. You can’t win it with 30 or 100 tanks anymore. It would be important to have a German Lend-Lease law like in the USA and a long-term alliance against Russia.”
12:20 a.m
Naftogaz: 213,000 Ukrainian households currently without gas and heat
The CEO of the largest Ukrainian energy supplier, Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, complains of massive damage to his country’s gas pipeline network by Russian troops. “Bombardments destroy the infrastructure every day, and we are constantly trying to repair it,” Vitrenko said in an interview with the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (RND), adding: “213,000 Ukrainian households are currently without gas.”
There is massive damage to the gas network in large cities such as Mariupol or Kharkiv, but also many destroyed lines in the smaller towns and villages in eastern Ukraine. “People need the gas for heating, for cooking and for hot water,” said Vitrenko.