In an interview, Vladimir Putin stated that in 2014 he was not prepared for a major war against Ukraine.Bild: Pool Sputnik Kremlin / Dmitry Azarov

International

After more than a year, the fighting in the Ukraine further on. While Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has announced more continuous deliveries of weapons, Slovakia has now also agreed to supply Ukraine with fighter jets after Poland. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called a “historic decision”.

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

19th March

2:37 p.m .: Putin: Russia was not yet ready for war in 2014

According to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, Russia was not prepared for a major war against Ukraine after annexing the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014. “We didn’t have hypersonic weapons then, but now we have them”Putin said in a statement published on Sunday Interview of Russian state television. Russia uses the hypersonic weapons occasionally. “There are also other modern systems, there was nothing comparable in 2014,” he said, again claiming that Russia wanted to resolve the conflict over Ukraine peacefully at the time.

“We have a lot to do – for example to develop the ground forces,” Putin said when asked about the lessons of the war he began on February 24, 2022 against Ukraine. He also commented on the question of whether the “special military operation” should not have started earlier, because Ukraine does not yet have such Waffen decreed: Putin made it clear that in 2014 Russia was not yet ready for “greater actions” than when it annexed Crimea.

2:36 p.m .: Ukraine accuses Putin of cynicism after visiting Mariupol

The Ukrainian government has sharply condemned the visit of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port of Mariupol. “Criminals always return to the crime scene”wrote the adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mikhailo Podoliak, on Sunday Twitter.

“The murderer of thousands of families in Mariupol came to admire the city’s ruins and their tombs. Cynicism and lack of remorse”, he added. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Putin had visited the city, which had been largely destroyed by Russian bombardments, under cover of night “as befits a thief.” The darkness enabled him to protect the city “and its few surviving inhabitants from prying eyes”.

12:13 p.m .: Finland’s President defends possible NATO membership without Sweden

The Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has the looming NATO accession of Finland without Sweden defended. “Should we have refused Turkey’s ratification? That sounds a bit crazy”, said Niinistö after Turkey announced on Friday that it initially only wanted to ratify Finland’s accession, but not Sweden’s. “It would have been a very difficult situation if we had said no to Ankara,” said Niinistö.

President of Finland Sauli Niinistö holds a press conference during his visit to the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia, USA, on March 6, 2023. Finnish President Niinistö is on a 5-days visi ...

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has defended Finland’s prospect of joining NATO without Sweden.Bild: www.imago-images.de / imago images

Against the background of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden jointly applied for membership in the western defense alliance last spring. All NATO members must agree to join. However, Turkey has so far blocked Sweden’s accession. Ankara is demanding the extradition of 120 people who Turkey considers “terrorists” to be extradited. Hungary’s approval of Sweden’s application is still pending. The Hungarian parliament, on the other hand, intends to ratify Finland’s accession on March 27th.

06:26: Putin visits Mariupol for the first time since the beginning of the war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the Russian-held port city of Mariupol for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to information from the Kremlin on Sunday, Putin flew in a helicopter to the city, which had been largely destroyed by Russian bombardments, and undertook on the spot with the Auto a city tour. The Kremlin boss spoke to residents of Mariupol and was informed about the reconstruction work. On Saturday, Putin visited the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of its annexation.

Russia Putin Prosecutor Day 8353072 12.01.2023 Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates prosecutors on Prosecutors Day via a video link at Novo-Ogarevo residence, outside Moscow, Russia. Mikhail ...

After Vladimir Putin visited Crimea on Saturday, he traveled to the port city of Mariupol, which was captured by Russia.Bild: www.imago-images.de / imago images

Mariupol on the Sea of ​​Azov had been bombarded and besieged by Russia since the beginning of the war in late February 2022. On April 21, Moscow announced the capture of the port city. Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters then holed up at the sprawling Azovstal Steelworks in Mariupol for almost a month before the government ordered them to surrender to the Russians in May to save them Life to rescue. According to Kiev, 90 percent of the city was destroyed and at least 20,000 People killed.

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

(With material from dpa/AFP)

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