The German government announced on Saturday May 13 that it is preparing a new military aid plan for Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros, including the delivery of numerous tanks, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft defense systems. “We all want a quick end to this atrocious war by Russia against the Ukrainian people, but unfortunately it is not in sight. That is why Germany will provide all the help it can, for as long as necessary. “, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement.
The war continues to rage in Ukraine, particularly in the east where the Russian army indicated on Friday that it had repelled an offensive over 95 kilometers in the Soledar sector, and around the symbolic city of Bakhmout where the forces of Volodymyr Zelensky claimed, on the same day, a breakthrough of two kilometers.
Two dead and 10 wounded in a Russian strike near Bakhmout
At least two people were killed on Saturday and 10 others injured, including children, in a Russian strike in Kostiantynivka, a town 25 kilometers southwest of Bakhmout, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said in a statement posted on Telegram. Kostiantynivka, a city of 70,000 inhabitants before the war, is located near the front line in the Ukrainian Donbass (east), an area advertised as the objective of conquest by Moscow. The city is regularly bombarded by the Russian army.
The Russian army claims to have advanced in Bakhmout
Russia said on Saturday that it had continued its progress in Bakhmout, liberating “a district in the northwestern part” of the city, when Kiev said, for its part, to advance around this locality. “Assault units have liberated a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the city of Artyomovsk”, the Russian name for Bakhmout, the Russian Defense Ministry wrote in a statement.
The day before, Ukraine had said it had advanced two kilometers around Bakhmout, which Moscow had denied. “The defensive operation in the direction of Bakhmout continues. Our soldiers are advancing in some areas of the front, and the enemy is losing equipment and troops,” Ukrainian ground troops commander Oleksandre Syrsky said on Telegram. The battle for Bakhmout is the bloodiest and longest since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
President Zelensky in the Vatican to meet Pope Francis
Volodymyr Zelensky was received by the pope after meetings with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and head of government Giorgia Meloni, who reiterated the peninsula’s full support for Kiev in its fight against Russian aggression. The Ukrainian president thanked Italy for its help “to save lives”. “Everything we do, we do together. And that protects our Ukrainian families, the children, the homes of our civilians and the lives of our soldiers,” he told a conference of joint press with Giorgia Meloni. “I did not come to complain, I came to talk about our cooperation and to thank you once again for your help, for the good of our country because we want peace,” said the Ukrainian president.
“Italy has done an important thing by strengthening its energy independence from Russia. This deprives the terrorist state of the possibility of putting pressure on you,” he added. The Ukrainian president must, after his Italian stage, go to Germany on Sunday, while Berlin has just announced significant military aid of 2.7 billion euros.
Germany to manufacture weapons in Ukraine
Sign of a serious acceleration of German investment in Ukraine, the armament manufacturer Rheinmetall also announced Friday, May 12 set up in Ukraine. It will cooperate from mid-July with the Ukrainian state military company Ukroboronprom to repair and manufacture military vehicles on site. The German shipowner is one of the manufacturers of Leopard tanks. Rheinmetall is concerned “to cover the urgent needs of Ukraine as quickly as possible”, said its CEO, Armin Papperger, in a press release.
“In subsequent phases, the cooperation will focus on the joint manufacture of certain Rheinmetall products in Ukraine on the basis of full technology transfer”, adds the group, which envisages for the future that “new military systems can also be jointly developed” in Ukraine and exported abroad. The German government is one of the main contributors to the military aid provided by the allies to Kiev and notably delivers weapons and ammunition manufactured by Rheinmetall, such as the Leopard heavy tanks recently arrived on the battlefield against Russia.
Moscow denounces an “extremely hostile” measure by the British
Russia on Friday called the UK’s decision to supply long-range Storm Shadow missiles to kyiv an “extremely hostile” move. Moscow accuses London of seeking a “serious aggravation” of the conflict. This delivery “aims to further flood Ukraine with weapons and to cause a serious aggravation of the situation”, denounced the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
With the supply of the Storm Shadows, the United Kingdom will become the first country to deliver this type of long-range weapon to Ukraine, which can strike at 250 kilometers. Westerners have so far been reluctant to send weapons that allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian lines but also potentially reach into Russian territory, for fear of an escalation in fighting.
“The transfer of long-range, high-precision missiles to the Kiev regime clearly confirms the unprecedented level of involvement of the United Kingdom in the Ukrainian conflict,” added Russian diplomacy. “Russia reserves the right to take all necessary measures to neutralize threats that may arise from the use of cruise missiles by Ukraine,” threatened the ministry.
South Africa denies arms sales to Russia
The South African government of Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday (May 12) that there was no record of state-approved arms sales to Russia in the December period, as Washington claimed. An investigation was opened following accusations made in Pretoria on Thursday by US Ambassador Reuben Brigety, claiming that a Russian cargo ship had docked near Cape Town in December before heading back to Russia loaded with weapons and of ammunition.
Cyril Ramaphosa, visibly annoyed, did not deny it, referring only to an investigation entrusted to “a retired judge”. An initiative hailed by the United States, which is one of the country’s essential trading partners. The South African Foreign Minister nevertheless demanded an apology and explanation from the American ambassador on Friday evening, saying that he had “exceeded the limits”.
The Kremlin said for its part, without directly referring to the case, that Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Ramaphosa had expressed during a telephone conversation their desire to “increase” cooperation between their two countries “in various fields”. For some international observers and members of the opposition, the sequence reinforces the feeling of disorganization within the South African government.
Pernod Ricard finally stops its exports to Russia
The world’s second largest spirits company, Pernod Ricard, has finally given in to the controversy that erupted following the discreet resumption of its Absolut vodka exports to Russia. The French group announced on Friday that it would stop selling its products there. Pernod Ricard, which owns Havana Club rum, Jameson whiskey and Mumm champagne, among others, “is able to confirm that it has stopped all exports of its international brands to Russia at the end of April 2023”, a-t- he stated in a statement. In concrete terms, the group no longer ships anything to Russia, but the stock still there will be distributed in the coming months.
Before the war, Russia represented less than 3% of Pernod Ricard’s turnover. And more than 500 French companies (including 35 CAC 40 groups) carried out activities in this country, according to the Ministry of the Economy. France was then the largest foreign employer in Russia, with some 160,000 employees. Some French companies are still present there, such as the French groups Auchan, Bonduelle or Lactalis.
A “probably Russian” missile creates a scandal in Poland
The commander of the Polish operational forces called “for reason” this Friday, while a political storm is unleashed in the country: the remains of a “probably Russian” missile were found by a walker in a forest 500 kilometers away from the eastern border, mid-April. The discovery sparked a scandal in Warsaw. The opposition denounces “lies” and “manipulations” of power.
According to Polish media, it is a Russian KH-55 cruise missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, which fell in December. So far silent on the subject, the government had accused Thursday, May 11 the commander of the operational forces of having neglected the search operations for the debris of the projectile and of not having informed anyone of the incident. The city of Bydgoszcz, near which the missile fell, is home to large Polish military forces, NATO institutions and arms factories.
Joe Biden thanks the Spanish government
“I cannot thank you enough for your important help to Ukraine”, greeted, Friday, May 12, the American president while receiving his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in the Oval Office. At the same time, he expressed his gratitude for the closer defense ties with the United States, and the increase in the American military presence in the country: the United States will increase from 4 to 6 the number of their destroyers on the Rota naval base. “Your commitment to democracy is an example for all,” said the Spanish leader, indicating that the United States and Spain were “allies and friends”.
This American presence in southern Europe, justified in particular by the war in Ukraine, also allows the country to become more involved in the issue of illegal immigration, while the United States, Spain and Canada are committed to cooperating on this politically hot topic for the US President. “We both face the challenges of immigration” from Latin America, Joe Biden further underlined, as new rules come into force on the border between the United States and Mexico.
