07/09/2023

The Ukrainian War in a live ticker
+++ 06:21 Bundestag report sees no NATO war participation +++

The Bundestag scientific service currently sees no legal indication that Germany or other NATO countries were involved in the Ukraine war through their arms shipments – as Russia has alleged. “There is still no explicit legal opinion in international law that would judge the support of NATO countries supporting Ukraine as a form of conflict participation,” said a recent report commissioned by left-wing MP Sevim Dagdelen, the German Press Agency available. .

+++ 05:57 Blinken on the phone before the NATO summit with Kuleba +++
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. Blinken tweeted that he had important conversations with Kuleba ahead of the NATO summit this Tuesday and Wednesday. Kuleba also said the phone calls to Blinken had been “productive”. “We still have 48 hours and we are working to ensure that the final decision is a victory for everyone: for Ukraine, for NATO and for global security.” Ukraine hopes to receive a clear signal from Vilnius that it has prospects of joining NATO.

+++ 05:07 Moscow: Ukraine pushed Bachmut +++
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces repulsed the Ukrainian advance near Bakhmut. The fierce battle there will be complicated by the hilly topography. Meanwhile, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said his fighters were in the Bakhmut region. According to Russian reports, Kadyrov was ill, injured or “on vacation”.

+++ 03:13 Selenskyj: We’re making progress, we’re not stuck +++
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian armed forces have taken the initiative in the fighting in the southeast of their country. “We are making progress, we are not stagnant,” Zelenskyj told US broadcaster ABC. Fierce fighting was raging in two regions in the southeast, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar said on Telegram. “We are in the process of consolidating our gains in this area,” he wrote. Russian troops defended Bakhmut while Ukrainian forces noted a “certain push” on the south side of the town. There is no change in position north of Bachmut. Heavy fighting continued west of the city and near Lyman further north.

+++ 02:26 Sumy gets criticized again +++
According to the regional military administration, the Ukrainian region of Sumy in the north-eastern part of the country near the border with Russia has again come under fire from Russian shells. Eleven explosions were recorded throughout the day on Sunday, the military administration announced on Telegram in the evening. But so far, no casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure has been reported.

+++ 01:13 Klingbeil: Ukraine will not join NATO before the war ends +++
For SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, Ukraine’s NATO membership before the end of Russia’s war of aggression is impossible. “NATO cannot accept Ukraine during the war, otherwise Germany and other allied countries will soon become parties to the war,” he told the German editorial network (RND). However, a summit of 31 member countries in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday and Wednesday will send a clear signal of close military cooperation with Ukraine, he said.

+++ 00:23 Selenskyj wants to protect the border with Belarus more +++
During a visit to Lutsk in the northwestern country near Belarus, Zelenskyj once again spoke out in favor of better protecting the country’s borders. The priority is strengthening the entire northern border, all the territory there, he said in his daily video message, this time captured at the castle complex in the old town of Lutsk. After visiting Turkey, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria, Selenskyi learned about the situation there. Russian troops also invaded Ukraine from Belarus in the north following the start of the war on February 24, 2022. Thousands of Russians are stationed in Belarus, using bases there primarily to prepare for combat missions.

+++ 23:22 Biden arrives in London before the NATO summit +++
US President Joe Biden has arrived in England. The 1st Air Force presidential plane landed at London Stansted Airport in the evening, a reporter traveling with him reported. On Monday, Biden held meetings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street and with King Charles III. at Windsor Castle. The main reason for his multi-day trip to Europe, however, is the two-day NATO summit in Lithuania, which starts on Tuesday. Biden’s next trip to Vilnius, Lithuania, is planned for Monday evening, where a NATO summit begins on Tuesday. The possible accession of Ukraine will be discussed there. After the summit, Biden wants to fly to Helsinki, where meetings with the heads of state and government of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway will take place. Here you can read more about it.

+++ 22:55 Putin could be arrested at the summit in South Africa +++
At the upcoming summit of Brics nations in South Africa, Putin was threatened with arrest because according to Head of State Cyril Ramaphosa, the meeting would not take place virtually but in person. The participants wanted to “look into each other’s eyes again” after almost three years, Ramaphosa told reporters. Ramaphosa did not say whether the Russian president wanted with an international arrest warrant would arrive. South Africa must arrest him on arrival under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March. The summit of heads of state and government of the Brics countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will take place in Johannesburg from 22 to 24 August. According to South African media reports, there are considerations in Pretoria moving the summit to China, which is not a contracting party to the ICC.

+++ 21:43 Mayor reports an explosion at the Russian military base in Melitopol +++
There has been a loud explosion in the village of Zarichne near the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhia region, reported the mayor of Melitopol. The explosion allegedly took place in a hangar converted into a Russian military base. Melitopol, which had a population of around 150,000 before the war, was occupied shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It serves the Russian army in southern Ukraine as a rail hub for the transport of military equipment. Melitopol is also part of the land bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

+++ 21:06 Erdogan wants to talk to Biden about the delivery of F-16 fighter jets +++
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lithuania. This was announced by the Turkish presidency on Sunday. Erdogan’s office said talks would focus on “Ukraine’s position in NATO, Sweden’s NATO membership and the delivery of F-16 fighter jets”. The two-day summit, which started on Tuesday, follows talks between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday. Kristersson hopes to persuade Erdogan to overcome Turkey’s objections to Sweden’s recognition as NATO’s 32nd member. Erdogan said it was “wrong” to link Turkey’s desire to acquire US fighter jets with Sweden’s bid to become a member. Biden himself has linked the two issues in phone calls with Erdogan, according to Erdogan’s office. Here you can read more about it.

+++ 20:38 governor: One injured after attack on residential building in Cherson +++
Russian troops have attacked a residential building in the city of Kherson, according to Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. A 66 year old woman suffered a head injury. He has been diagnosed with a concussion, but his life is not in danger.

Read previous developments here.