Day 388 since the beginning of the war: Ministers of the EU countries want to discuss ammunition deliveries. Putin visits occupied Mariupol. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Putin ahead of Xi’s state visit: “Good old friend”
9:27 p.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin calls Chinese President Xi Jinping a “good old friend” ahead of his visit to Moscow. Relations between the two countries are at the best possible point and will be further strengthened, according to a statement by Putin on the Kremlin’s website. There are no forbidden topics and no limits in the mutual relationships. Russia and China would coordinate their foreign policies and fight common threats. Russian trade with China will exceed $200 billion this year and it is important to further expand it.
EU ministers discuss ammunition for Ukraine
8:11 p.m.: The foreign and defense ministers of the EU states want to discuss further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia on Monday afternoon. The meeting in Brussels is said to be primarily about the delivery of urgently needed ammunition. The background is concerns that Ukraine could be missing important types of ammunition in the near future. This particularly applies to artillery shells.
The EU Commission and Foreign Affairs Commissioner Josep Borrell had therefore recently presented a plan on how possible deliveries could be accelerated. On the one hand, this involves deliveries from national stocks and, on the other hand, a joint purchase of artillery ammunition. Two billion euros could be made available for this from EU funds.
Zelenskyi adviser on Putin: “Criminals always return to the crime scene”
4:59 p.m.: Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mariupol has sparked criticism in Ukraine. “The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter. “While the civilized world is announcing the arrest of the ‘War Director’ (…) if he oversteps its borders, the murderer of thousands of families came from Mariupol to admire the city’s ruins and tombs.” Podoljak’s conclusion: “cynicism and lack of remorse.”
According to the Kremlin, Putin visited the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Sunday. It has been under full Russian control since May 2022. Russian state television showed the 70-year-old at the wheel of a car driving through the city at night. Destroyed buildings could also be seen on the edge.
Russians protest against Putin: “No to carp”
4:34 p.m.: Demonstrations against the war are banned in Russia, violators are punished draconically. And yet there is resistance, sometimes with subtle means. An overview.
Juncker criticizes “imprudence” in the West
3:31 p.m.: Former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned against raising unrealistic expectations of Ukraine’s speedy accession to the European Union.
“I believe that Ukraine needs the prospect of accession for the given reasons, but I am very upset about the imprudence of many politicians, also acting in the West, who are promising Ukraine a quick accession. I don’t see that,” Juncker told the newspaper “Luxemburger Word”.
Juncker said it was not a “viable way” to simply accept a country that is at war and “cannot fully develop its will to reform” for overriding political reasons. “But after recent events, I think it’s highly likely that Ukraine will join the European Union in the long term.”
Wagner fighters report: “So much adrenaline”
1:47 p.m.: The Wagner group recruited tens of thousands of prisoners from Russian prisons for the fighting in Ukraine. Some now spoke about their experiences. Here you can read more about it.
