War in Ukraine: Bundeswehr moves warship in Baltic Sea

While the votes that Russia from the iinternational payment system Swift want to rule out, the federal government is defending its wait-and-see attitude. “A suspension of Swift would be technically difficult to prepare, would also have massive impact on payment transactions in Germany and for German companies doing business with Russia,” says government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. There were also objections from Italy and France.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has called on Europeans with combat experience to support his country in repelling a large-scale Russian attack:

If you have combat experience in Europe and do not want to put up with the indecisiveness of politicians, you can come to our country and join us to defend Europe.

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Still to be treated with caution, but there may be growing evidence that the Russian President Vladimir Putin ready for talks is. At least that’s what the Russian news agency Ria reports. https://ria.ru/20220225/peregovory-1775060127.html Accordingly, Putin is said to have said in a conversation with the Chinese head of state Xi Jinping that he was ready “high level” hold talks with Ukraine.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urges Putin to end the attack on Ukraine immediately. “Stop the madness of this war. Now!”, explains Steinmeier in his Berlin office, Schloss Bellevue. Putin had “unleashed a war of aggression against Ukraine under lying pretexts”. It is terrible what the people there have to go through now. Steinmeier emphasizes that no one wants hostility towards the Russian people. “But this injustice cannot go unanswered.”

CSU boss Markus Soder In view of the escalation in Ukraine, calls for Germany to be upgraded. In particular, the air defense must be reorganized, said Söder after a meeting of the CSU board. Specifically, in his opinion, should acquired ground-based air defense systems and become established.

Söder calls for a “new way of thinking in the Bundeswehr”. You have to change and concentrate more on alliance and national defense as before. More money is urgently needed. Söder advocates that Obligation of the NATO member states to spend two percent of their economic output on defense, to be fulfilled much faster. The two percent mark must be met as early as 2023, says Söder. Above all, better material is needed for the Bundeswehr. “An improved strategy is needed when it comes to the Bundeswehr, more money and new systems are needed.”

After the WDR has already canceled all of its carnival programs, the first of the ARD is also canceling the show “Carnival in Cologne 2022” planned for Shrove Monday at 8:15 p.m. Instead, according to ARD, there will first be a current program on the Ukraine war and then a special program of “Hart aber Fair” from 9 p.m. After the outbreak of war in the Ukraine yesterday morning, the Cologne-based WDR initially stuck to a carnival program on Weiberfastnacht and broadcast it for three hours. The special broadcast, which was actually scheduled for seven hours, ended in the afternoon.

Because of the war in Ukraine, ZDF had taken the television carnival classic “Mainz stays Mainz, how it sings and laughs” originally planned for tonight from the main linear program and is only showing it in the media library.

the formula 1 says because of the Russian attack on Ukraine Russian Grand Prix off this season. “Under the current circumstances” it is impossible to host the World Championship race planned for September 25 in Sochi,” the racing series announced.

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner advocates direct punitive measures against the leadership in Moscow. According to participants, at the meeting of EU finance ministers in Paris, the head of the FDP called for personal sanctions to be imposed on President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. So far, both have been unaffected by the personal asset freeze and travel restrictions. However, both bear personal responsibility for a war of aggression that violates international law, argues Lindner, according to the German Press Agency. Sanctions could therefore not be limited to simple Duma deputies.
Lindner further emphasizes that all other options are on the table for Germany. An exclusion of Russia from Swift is also conceivable if the EU members jointly agree that this could further increase the pressure on Russia.

Even Greta Thunberg shows solidarity with Ukraine. Together with other campaigners, the climate activist stands in front of the Russian embassy in Stockholm and shows the slogan “Stand with Ukraine”.
https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1497163346772176932

Ukrainians can now travel by train in the Czech Republic free of charge. According to the state railway company Ceske Drahy, they only have to show their passport at the ticket inspection. This should enable Ukrainians who want to follow the call for mobilization to return to their home country quickly. Traveling to Ukraine by train is currently still possible via Poland. The more direct train connections via Slovakia have therefore been temporarily suspended.
According to figures from the Interior Ministry in Prague, almost 200,000 Ukrainians lived in the Czech Republic. Many of them work in low-paying jobs in construction, factories and cleaning.

The staff sent by the German embassy in Kiev left for Poland yesterday. However, the embassy is not completely closed, a spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office said in Berlin. Local employees are still on site. Various options are now being examined as to how and where employees can best continue to work and, above all, under the safest possible conditions. In addition to the German Embassy in Kiev, the Donetsk Consulate General in Dnipro is also temporarily closed due to the fighting.

Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter threatens the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and Putin friend Valeri Gergiev with expulsion. “I made my stance clear to Valeri Gergiev and asked him to also clearly and unequivocally distance himself from the brutal war of aggression that Putin is waging against Ukraine and now especially against our twin city of Kiev,” said the SPD politician in Munich. “If Valeri Gergiev has not clearly positioned himself here by Monday, he can no longer remain chief conductor of our Philharmonic.”

The 68-year-old Gergiev has been chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic since 2015. His friendship with Putin repeatedly brings him under criticism. In 2014, he signed an artist’s appeal for Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, thereby officially supporting the Russian president’s policy.

The Kremlin has one Proposal of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed negotiations on Ukraine’s neutral status. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the message was being analyzed and Zelenskyy was recognized as President of Ukraine. “Of course, yes. (…) He is the President of Ukraine.”

Selenskyj had on Thursday night made an offer to talk to Putin to avert war. He said: “Ukraine’s security is linked to the security of its neighbors. That’s why today we need to talk about security across Europe. That is our main goal – peace in Ukraine and security of our citizens. For this we are ready to work with everyone and also with you. In different formats and at any desired place.”

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the German government wants to send two warships to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank. The spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Christian Thiels, announced at the federal press conference that the “Erfurt” corvette would be relocated to the Baltic Sea. A frigate should be ordered into the Mediterranean. In addition, a Bundeswehr reconnaissance team is to clarify in which eastern member states German armed forces could help with air defense.

In the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is a clash between a German and a Russian football club. in the Round of 16 of the Europa League meets RB Leipzig on Spartak Moscow. That was the result of the draw in Nyon. The first leg will kick off at the Red Bull Arena on March 10th, it will be a week the second leg on neutral ground discharged. UEFA had already decided that before the draw was made on the basis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.