live blog
Status: 08/15/2022 03:48 a.m
The Ukrainian President supports an EU-wide ban on entry visas for Russian citizens. According to Pyongyang, Putin wants to expand relations with North Korea. The developments in the live blog.
3:46 a.m
North Korea: Putin wants to expand relations with us
According to North Korea, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a desire to expand relations between the two countries. In a letter on the day of North Korea’s liberation, Putin told head of state Kim Jong Un that closer ties were in the interest of both parties, the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on Monday (local time). According to Putin, this could strengthen security and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Both states share a common border near Russia’s Vladivostok.
12:31 a.m
Zelenskyj welcomes push for EU-wide visa ban for Russian citizens
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed the proposal for an EU-wide ban on entry visas for Russian citizens. The discussion about a corresponding proposal by the Czech EU Council Presidency is becoming “more intense every day,” Zelenskyj said in his daily video address. Ultimately, this should lead to “reasonable decisions,” Zelenskyy said. In addition, the Ukrainian head of state condemned the silence of many Russian citizens on the aggressive war against his country. “When evil takes on such proportions, people’s silence comes close to complicity,” Zelensky said. He added: “If you have Russian citizenship and remain silent, it means that you do not oppose evil – which means that you support the war.” Addressing his own population, Zelenskyi announced that the Ukrainian parliament would soon decide on the extension of martial law and general mobilization. “In the near future” the parliament will decide on this, said Zelenskyj.