10:56 pm: Zelenskyj promotes participation in peace summit
A good month before the planned peace summit in Switzerland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again invited the format to participate. The summit, scheduled for June 15 and 16 near Lucerne, “can and should demonstrate the value of international cooperation,” Zelensky said in his evening video address on Tuesday.
According to previous information, up to 80 states will be represented at the conference and will discuss peace prospects for Ukraine. “Moscow hypocritically uses the term ‘multipolarity’ to cover up its attempts to control the lives of other countries, while we are creating an instrument of real diversity,” Zelensky added.
10:02 pm: Wiretapping case: Probe against Air Force inspector complete
The Berlin public prosecutor’s office has closed its investigation against Air Force Inspector Ingo Gerhardt after a wiretapped conversation between German officials about the Taurus cruise missile. A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor’s Office said the procedure was formally initiated after private individuals filed complaints regarding violations of official secrets and special obligations of secrecy. An investigation was not launched and proceedings were halted on April 10 due to lack of initial suspicion. “In particular, there is no evidence of intentional action on the part of the accused. Any negligence may be relevant under disciplinary law, but not punishable as negligent action.” There will be no trial against others in this context.
9:28 pm: Pistorius on military-political talks in North America
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has arrived in the US on a military-political visit. The SPD politician landed in New York with his delegation in the evening. He wants to talk to NATO partners the United States and Canada about the world’s security policy situation and explain Germany’s increased commitment to the alliance. Pistorius will hold talks with Lloyd Austin (US) in Washington on Thursday and Bill Blair (Canada) in Ottawa. The situation in Ukraine will also be a topic.
5:50 PM: Patriarch Kirill I: God Delivers Putin as President
Orthodox Moscow Patriarch Kirill I fully supports Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. After Putin was sworn in for a fifth term as Russia’s president, the church leader blessed him at a thanksgiving service in the Moscow Kremlin’s Annunciation Cathedral. According to Cyril I, Putin followed the example of Saint Alexander Nevsky (1221-1263), who bravely defended Russia on the battlefield, who once attributed divine legitimacy to Putin. Putin lit a candle and crossed himself. At the end of the roughly 15-minute service, Putin and Cyril gave each other three kisses on the cheek.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has been criticized internationally for supporting and justifying a war of aggression against Ukraine. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe indicted Cyril I for war crimes. In a resolution passed unanimously in mid-April, it also condemned abuse of religion by the Russian president and patriarch.
5:15 pm: Steinmeier regrets comments about “caliber experts”.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier self-criticizes his report on “calibre experts” regarding the war in Ukraine. As told to “Stern” from the office of the Federal President and confirmed to the German Press Agency in Berlin, he did not want to contribute to further fueling the already controversial debate.
At the FAZ readers’ conference, Steinmeier expressed unease about the German discussion of military aid to Ukraine, which extended to private armed forces. He spoke of the “calibre of experts” who led the debate “with enthusiasm and growing ambition”. Politicians from various parties opposed this.
3:59 pm: Belarus Tests Use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons
According to Russian state media, Belarus is testing its military’s readiness to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, a similar exercise is underway in Russia, the government in Moscow announced on Monday. This was in response to threats from America, Great Britain and France. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko announced in April that Russia had deployed “several dozen” tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
2:25 pm: Oversight Authority – Reports of use of chemical weapons not proven
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has described allegations of chemical weapons use in the Ukraine war as “insufficiently substantiated” and “worrying”. The information used by Russia and Ukraine to support their accusations against the other country and other information accessible to the OPCW secretariat is “insufficiently substantiated,” the OPCW said in a statement in The Hague on Tuesday.
According to the organization, Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of using chemical weapons. Last week, the US State Department also accused Russia of violating the International Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and using the chemical warfare agent chloropyrin against Ukrainian soldiers.
1:18 pm: Russian court allows Commerzbank to seize assets
A Moscow court has authorized the seizure of the assets of Commerzbank in Russia and the European subsidiaries of major US bank JP Morgen. The assets of the two companies were affected by around 12.4 million euros. On April 26, the court ruled in favor of Russian Transcapital Bank’s application. “Handelsblatt” reported on it earlier on Tuesday. The Russian financial institution fell under Western sanctions in 2022 after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The request was based on the US Treasury Department imposing sanctions on the plaintiff on April 20, 2022, the court document said.
1:03 pm: Russian secret service attack on Zelensky thwarted
Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service, the SBU, has revealed Russian agents who allegedly planned to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking government officials. “Counterintelligence and SBU investigators foiled FSB (Russian Secret Service) plans to remove the President of Ukraine and other representatives of the top military and political leadership,” the SBU said in a telegram.
Two officers from the State Security Department of Ukraine responsible for personal security were arrested in this context. They allegedly provided information to the FSB, Russia’s domestic secret service, in exchange for money and may have participated in the attack themselves. According to information, the officers held the rank of colonels. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed the investigation and arrests. However, there was no independent confirmation of the incident outside of Ukrainian security authorities.
12.21 pm: Scholz – Developing countries should participate in Ukraine talks
President Olaf Scholz has called on emerging powers to end the war in Ukraine. “China, Brazil, India and many other countries are telling Russia: ‘Enough! This war must end, Russia must withdraw its troops!’ “That said, the chances of an early peace are greater,” Schalls said on Tuesday at an event called Global. Settlement Summit in Berlin.
12.17pm: London: About 9,000 Chechens are fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
According to British estimates, Russia is currently deploying around 9,000 fighters from Chechnya in its war of aggression against Ukraine. “Chechen special forces may bear the brunt of front-line fighting, while the bulk of Chechen forces continue operations to defend the interior,” the British Ministry of Defense in London said on Tuesday. Chechen forces have been fighting on Russia’s side in Ukraine since 2014. Chechen forces to train Russian soldiers for war against Ukraine
11.20 am: Putin – dialogue with the West only on an equal footing
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not ruled out dialogue with the West, but only on an equal footing, he insisted at the launch of his fifth term in Moscow. In a short speech, Putin also stressed Russia’s openness to relations with other states, which he described as “the majority of the world.”
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