According to Chancellor Scholz, Russian President Putin is making numerous mistakes in the war against Ukraine. The Taliban say they have signed a preliminary trade agreement with Russia. Developments in the live blog.
1:11 am
Scholz: Putin is lining up mistakes after mistakes
According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the votes in the occupied areas of Ukraine make no difference for Germany. “We will not accept the results of these bogus referendums and will continue to support Ukraine with undiminished strength,” Scholz told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. With a view to the partial mobilization of Russian reservists ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, Scholz explained: “Putin is lining up mistakes after mistakes”. The Russian president “could end this war immediately by withdrawing his troops and then engaging in talks with Kyiv”.
1:11 am
Taliban launch trade deal with Russia
The Taliban say they have signed a preliminary trade agreement with Russia. The aim is to diversify business partners, and Russia has offered the Taliban government a discount on average world market prices for raw materials, explains Afghan Trade and Industry Minister Hajji Nuruddin Asisi. Russia is now supposed to deliver around one million tons of gasoline, one million tons of diesel, 500,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and two million tons of wheat to Afghanistan every year. The move is the first known major international economic deal the Taliban have struck since returning to power about a year ago. No country recognizes the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, but Moscow met with leaders of the movement ahead of the fall of Kabul, and its embassy is one of the few still open in the Afghan capital.
9/22/2022 • 1:13 am
US delivers missile defense systems to Ukraine
The Pentagon plans to supply Ukraine with two Nasams missile defense systems in the next two months. The country attacked by Russia could expect six more of the Norwegian-made systems in the future, about in a year or two, said US Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder. Recent reports that some of the surface-to-air missile defense systems are already in Ukraine are incorrect.
Months ago, the government in Kyiv asked for the weapon systems to ward off Russian missile attacks. The expected US delivery comes at a time when the Kremlin had to accept substantial Ukrainian gains in areas of Ukraine previously held by Russia.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.