Ukraine war: Moscow again threatens the end of the grain deal

International

According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the defense alliance’s summit in Lithuania in July. However, it is considered very unlikely that this would pave the way for admission to NATO. The Ukraine demands this.

A truce is also in place now, almost 14 months after the start of the aggressive war of Russia against Ukraine, not in sight. Fierce fighting continues, particularly in eastern Ukraine.

In our news blog you can read all the important news about developments in the Ukraine war.

25. April

11:06 a.m .: Iran is said to be secretly supplying Russia with ammunition in bulk

Ship deliveries across the Caspian Sea are said to Iran Russia with ammunition for the war in Ukraine take care of. According to research by The Wall Street Journal, Russian freighters transport large quantities of Iranian artillery shells and other munitions by sea to Russian ports.

In the past six months it is said to have been more than 300,000 artillery shells and a million rounds of ammunition. Iran initially took no position on the matter.

Iranian and Russian foreign ministers shake hands. The two autocracies are close allies. Image: IMAGO/SNA

4:21 a.m .: Moscow threatens to end grain agreements

Russia accuses Kiev of having used drones to attack the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula in March and April. In view of the war that was started by Russia, this is at least a questionable accusation. Now Moscow is waiting with a threat: “Terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime threaten a renewed extension of the ‘grain deal’ after May 18.”the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday night.

Such threats are not new. The Kremlin keeps threatening to scrap the grain agreement, which was last extended by 60 days in mid-March. The arguments are changing.

24. April

9:30 p.m .: Lavrov defends the invasion of Ukraine before the UN Security Council

Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov accuses the West of plans for political domination. He defends the Russian invasion of Ukraine through these hegemonic plans of the West. If Lavrov has his way, the “Ukraine question” cannot be answered without considering the geopolitical developments between NATO and Russia. Lavrov is convinced that NATO has threatened Russia’s security in the region for years. He said so at a UN Security Council meeting in New York.

The controversial meeting of the most powerful UN body was scheduled by Russia given its presidency of the Council. In light of Russia’s war of aggression, the session entitled “Effective Multilateralism by Defending the Principles of the United Nations Charter” was seen as a provocation by many countries.

4:21 p.m .: Ukraine and Russia want to exchange all prisoners

Surprising turnaround: According to Ukraine, the warring parties are currently working on a solution to exchange all soldiers captured in the war. The head of the military intelligence service responsible for prisoner exchanges, Kyrylo Budanov, informed the RBK-Ukrayina news agency on Monday. “Yes, we are getting close to that, as a matter of fact,” he said.

Russia is said to be holding more Ukrainian soldiers captive than the other way around.Bild: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS

In previous exchanges, parity was mostly taken into account. It is unclear how many prisoners each side has. According to observers, however, Russia is said to have more Ukrainian prisoners than Ukraine has Russian ones.

1:39 p.m .: Ukraine troops cross Dnipro – Russia attacks 98 villages

Troops of the Ukrainian army have managed to cross the Dnipro, Ukraine’s largest river, and take positions on the other side. East of the Dnieper is the Donbass, i.e. the areas annexed by Russia. Military experts see the Ukrainian advance as a sign of an impending counter-offensive by Kiev.

Meanwhile, according to Ukraine, Russian attackers shelled 98 settlements on Sunday. It is said that there were dead and injured, the exact number is currently being determined.

According to military sources, Ukraine has taken up positions east of the Dnieper River, laying the foundation for its counteroffensive.Bild: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire / Ashley Chan

8.37 a.m .: Wagner boss Prigozhin with a frightening threat

The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has issued a drastic threat. He has threatened not to take any more prisoners during battles in the future. Instead, all Ukrainian soldiers would be killed. “We will simply destroy everyone on the battlefield,” Prigozhin said on Sunday on the Telegram channel of his press service.

The trigger was a radio message from the Ukraine that the Wagner group intercepted. It talks about the shooting of injured Wagner mercenaries. Prigozhin accused Kiev of violating international law. As soon as one side has taken prisoners of war, it is responsible for their care and security, said the 61-year-old. Since he is sticking to it, he will not make any more prisoners of war in the future. “We will kill everyone who is on the battlefield and take no more prisoners,” said the entrepreneur close to the Kremlin.

Wagner boss Prigoschin no longer wants to take prisoners.Bild: AP / Uncredited

5.17 a.m .: Kuleba pillories Russia in clear words

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine destroyed not only peace in Europe, but also the world order. “It has destroyed the basic principles of mankind by committing unspeakable atrocities,” Kuleba wrote in a Sunday publication guest post for the daily newspaper “Die Welt”. He made it clear: there can be no peace if Moscow is not held accountable for all crimes. At least not a real one.

Hopes for a 21st century marked by peace were dashed by Russia’s actions. “Instead, Russia has thrown us back into a long 19th century marked by colonial conquests,” Kuleba wrote. The war has shown that security in the region is indivisible. The future of Euro-Atlantic security will be “decided on the battlefield in Ukraine”.

Kuleba pillories Russia.Bild: AP / Andreea Alexandru

23. April

11:10 p.m.: Heavy fighting continues for Bakhmut and Avdiivka

According to Ukrainian sources, Russian troops carried out numerous attacks against the cities of Avdiivka and Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Sunday. A total of around 45 attacks were repelled there, with losses for the enemy, the Ukrainian general staff said in its situation report in the evening. Several Russian attacks were also reported from Marjinka.

The fierce fighting in Bakhmut continues. Image: AP / LIBKOS

Russian military, on the other hand, reported repeated Ukrainian artillery attacks on Donetsk. The Russian state agency Tass reported that the city in the Donbass was shot at least five times from rocket launchers on Sunday. No information was given about the effects of these attacks. Artillery strikes were also reported from the Ukrainian-controlled Kherson region in the south of the country. The general staff in Kiev announced that 35 towns had been shelled there. The front lines therefore remained unchanged.

12:56 p.m .: Baltic states outraged by statements by China’s ambassador in Paris

Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye’s comments in France that ex-Soviet republics are not necessarily sovereign have caused outrage. A spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry said the statement was “dismayed”. China must now clarify whether the ambassador’s statement represents the Chinese position.

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics shared on Saturday evening Twitter that he had summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy for Monday in Riga because of the “completely unacceptable” remark. This has also been agreed with Lithuania and Estonia. “We expect an explanation from the Chinese side and a complete retraction of this statement”he continued.

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics finds clear words on the ambassador’s statementsBild: AP / Vadim Ghirda

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said: “The Chinese diplomat’s statements are incomprehensible and we condemn such statements to an independent and sovereign country.” His Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis also reacted to the statements. On Twitter he wrote:

You can find older news about the war in Ukraine here.

(With material from dpa and AFP)