4:11 pm: Foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland meet to discuss Ukraine.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland met near Paris to discuss aid for Ukraine and EU enlargement. France's Head of Department Stéphane Séjourné welcomed his colleagues Annalena Berbach and Radoslaw Sikorski at the castle of La Celle-Saint-Cloud. Baerbach welcomed the revival of the three-way format, which could play a bigger role in the future following the change of government in Poland.
“For a stronger, more resilient Europe in times of storm, the Weimar Triangle will be a powerhouse and think tank more than ever in its 30-year history,” Baerbach explained. France's foreign minister announced a joint effort against Russian disinformation campaigns. “All three of our countries are victims of the same destabilization strategy,” he said. He cited Russian troll factories and fake news sites as examples. Séjourné cited the change of government in Poland as the reason for the meeting. He explained that Poland had “fully returned to Europe”.
3:56 pm: Nuripur – Trump statements threat to security
Green Party leader Omit Nuripour reacted with dismay to US presidential candidate Donald Trump's statements about NATO's commitment to aid. Unfortunately, Nouripour said in Berlin that the reports did not surprise him. Trump has already made similar statements, including about his “emotional closeness” to Russia. Nevertheless, the statements were a threat to common security and “irresponsible towards NATO”. The security alliance plays an important role in the security of both the US and Europe.
Nevertheless, Nuripour stressed: “In an emergency, the EU and European countries can defend themselves.” Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the EU has shown time and time again that it can stand together and act when in doubt: “It's very gratifying, and we need to expand our capacity to act. We need to stand together and defend ourselves, regardless of how the elections go in America.”
3:11 pm: Moldova wants to destroy explosives made from drone fragments
After parts of a drone were found in Moldova, their explosives are to be destroyed. Police said 50 kilograms of explosives were recovered from the rubble. All parts of the drone have been collected and are no longer a threat. Wreckage of the Iranian Shahed drone was found on Sunday near the town of Edulia on the border with Ukraine.
Authorities in Moldova suspect debris from one of the drones shot down by Ukraine's air defense system during nighttime raids by Russian forces in Ukraine's Ismail region on Friday. The distance between Edulia and Ismail is approximately 40 kilometers. Moldova's Foreign Minister Mihai Babsoi condemned Russia's “continuous barbaric attacks” on Ukraine, which have a direct impact on Moldova.
2:50 pm: Kiev condemns “destroying” of Ukrainian grain by Polish farmers.
The government of Ukraine strongly opposed the protest by Polish farmers on the border between the two countries. Farmers stopped several trucks and dumped their loads on the road on Sunday, as seen in online media. Kyiv condemns “destruction” of Ukrainian grain, Agriculture Ministry says.
Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kashka called on the Polish government to stand up against “xenophobia” because of the move. There is “a new escalation in our common border” and if the Polish government does not respond to it, there will be “more racism and political violence”.
2:34pm: Norwegian Secret Service – Russia gets the upper hand
According to Norwegian intelligence, Russia is gaining military dominance in Ukraine thanks to large troop presence and material support from countries such as North Korea and China. Chief of military intelligence Nils Andreas Stenssons said Kiev would need “substantial” Western military assistance to turn the situation around.
“In this war, Russia is now in a stronger position than a year ago and has an advantage,” Stensönes said. He insisted that Moscow could “mobilize three times as many troops” as Ukraine, that Russia was adapting to sanctions “better than expected” and that industry could produce enough “bombs, combat vehicles, drones and missiles”. Stensönes, Russia receives military support from Iran, Belarus and North Korea. According to his findings, China does not provide weapons, but “engines, vehicles, electronics and spare parts” useful to the Russian defense sector.
2:16 pm: Scholes calls for “massive production of defense equipment” in Europe
Given the threat from Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholes (SPD) has called for a significant increase in arms production in Europe. European partners must consolidate their orders and provide security for the defense sector for the next few decades, Scholz said during the start of construction of a new ammunition factory for the Rheinmetall arms company in Anderluss, Lower Saxony: “We have to move. Away from production – towards the production of large-scale defense equipment.”
This is “urgently necessary. Because this reality is so harsh: we do not live in peaceful times,” the president stressed. Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin's openly expressed “imperial ambitions” pose a “major threat to the European peace order.” In this situation, the following applies: “If you want peace, you must successfully repel potential invaders.”
1:28 pm: Russia denies Starlink use – Ukraine insists on allegations
Ukraine insists the Russian military is using American billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications network, despite denials from the government in Moscow. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov told Reuters that the Russian armed forces illegally buy Starlink satellite terminals from third countries and increasingly use them in military operations. “Smuggled items from third countries,” he said when asked how the Russian armed forces got their hands on the devices. The Russian government denied this information.
12:56 pm: Poland wants to control grain from Ukraine
In response to farmers' protests in Poland, the government wants imports to more closely match the quality of Ukrainian grain. Deputy Agriculture Minister Michal Kolodziejczak announced this, PAP news agency reported. If grain is delivered to Germany and brought back to Poland due to quality defects, it will be “99 percent European grain,” he explained, explaining the move. Farmers in Poland began a month-long strike on Friday against EU agricultural policy. Representatives of the new pro-European government were sympathetic to the protests. have reported
12.48pm: Huisgen expects signal of support for Ukraine at security conference
Christoph Heusken, chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSK), expects the meeting, which starts in a few days, to provide important incentives for further support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He hopes the signal will come from Munich: “We are not tired,” Heusgen said in Berlin. According to Heusgen, the organizers want to provide a framework to “simplify” discussions about the war in the Middle East. Heusken demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin's calculation that “we are fools” and declining support for Ukraine should not work.
On video: Hofreiter calls for more aid to Ukraine
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