A well-known spectacle is repeated these days: Ukraine wants more weapon systems, but Germany is sidelined. First example: Great Britain made it official today that it will supply Kyiv with so-called “Storm Shadow” missiles (more here). The special thing about them is that they have a range of up to 250 kilometers – significantly more than the missiles that the Ukrainians can currently fire from the US missile launchers Himar, for example. The rockets are fired from the Ukrainian aircraft of Soviet design. As “CNN” reports, the rockets have already arrived in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February that Britain would deliver the missiles. The Sunak government had also officially advertised the contract for the missile delivery. A step that Germany could also take, because Ukraine will need larger quantities of the long-range missiles – how many are now going to Ukraine is not yet known.
Second location: The Western Fighter Jet Debate. Among others, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Denmark are trying to persuade NATO countries to deliver F-16 aircraft to Ukraine. Numerous US politicians, from Democrats to Republicans, are also urging Biden to take the step. In contrast to the missiles, a broad coalition would be needed here to organize and ensure training, maintenance and infrastructure for the aircraft. Even if Germany itself does not have an F-16, Berlin could participate. But again: not a word of support.
In the end, however, the federal government must also be clear: Except for nuclear weapons, Ukraine will need all, absolutely all available Western weapons to successfully repel Russia’s invasion and to deter Russia from a second invasion attempt. If you don’t plan accordingly, you are short-sighted.
The tank debate in Germany showed how much advance notice is required for the delivery of weapons. Chancellor Olaf Scholz would be well advised to support the delivery of long-range missiles to Ukraine and take an active role in the fighter jet debate. “The giant is shaking,” said a military recently about Russia’s army. Germany must also help to turn it into a knockout.
The most important news of the day
- Negotiations on Grain Agreements have started in Istanbul: If Moscow carries out its threat and pulls out, the deal could expire on May 18. The consultations in Turkey should last two days. More here.
- NATO summit in early July: At the request of the NATO partners, the Ministry of Defense checked the protection of the summit with an anti-aircraft system. A decision should follow in the coming weeks. More here.
- In a guest article for Der Spiegel, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, call for Ukraine to be admitted to NATO quickly. Otherwise there will be no stability in Europe, they write. At the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, the NATO heads of state and government should send a clear signal to Russia and show that Ukraine is part of the West. Clear plans and perspectives are now needed for Ukraine’s accession. More in our live blog.
- The Russian government considers the economic situation to be fully under control, despite a huge budget deficit. Russia has a necessary margin of safety, said Presidential Office spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow on Thursday. He was reacting to figures from the Treasury Department. These show that Russia ran a budget deficit of 3.4 trillion rubles (about 40 billion euros) in the first four months of the year.
- More than 14 months after invading Ukraine, Russia says it has “partially” achieved its war goals. The most important task was to protect the people in Donbass, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in an interview with the Bosnian television station ATV broadcast on Wednesday evening. “We have partially succeeded in fulfilling this task, but we are still a long way from achieving this,” said Peskow. He described the situation as “very difficult”.
- According to the governor, an oil storage facility in the Russian region of Bryansk on the border with Ukraine was shot at by a Ukrainian drone. Alexander Bogomas said on Telegram that no one was killed or injured in the attack near the town of Klinzy.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that the expected counter-offensive by his troops is still a long way off. First of all, more of the promised Western arms aid must arrive, he said in an interview with several European television stations. “With what we have, we can make progress and be successful. But we would lose a lot of soldiers – and that is unacceptable,” said Zelenskyy. “That’s why we have to wait. We still need a bit of time.”
- The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) continues to believe that it is wrong for athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to major international competitions. “In view of the unabated ongoing acts of war, we believe that the exclusion would still be justified. Russia and Belarus should not even be given the opportunity to abuse the participation of the athletes for war propaganda purposes,” said DOSB President Thomas Weikert in an interview with the “Heilbronner Voice”.
- According to British intelligence services, the Russian Ministry of Defense is now recruiting prisoners for the war of aggression against Ukraine itself. In April 2023 alone, up to 10,000 prisoners are likely to have joined the military, the British Ministry of Defense speculates in its latest update.
- In the fight against circumventing sanctions against Russia, the German government wants companies to be held more accountable. As the German Press Agency learned from EU circles, the German ambassador to the EU made a corresponding proposal during negotiations in Brussels on Wednesday. According to this, companies from non-EU countries would have to contractually undertake when buying certain goods in the EU not to export them later to Russia.
- Former US President Donald Trump has made a rare appearance on a CNN program, making evasive comments about Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. When asked if he would continue to provide money and arms to Ukraine if he won the 2024 presidential election, the Republican said, among other things: “I want Europe to provide more money because they are laughing at us. They think we’re a bunch of idiots.” As during his presidency, Trump claimed that the US government is giving away so much equipment that there is no ammunition left for its own troops. Trump reiterated his claim that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has been going on for more than 14 months, in 24 hours. Both parties to the conflict have strengths and weaknesses, he said.
