Zelenskyy: First Defense of Ukraine

On Tuesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his partners at the NATO summit, while former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev provoked World War III. This is the evening at a glance:

Zelenskyy at the NATO summit

On the second day of the NATO summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to call for further strengthening of his country’s defense capabilities. “Our defense is a top priority,” Zelenskyj said via Telegram on Tuesday night. He had arrived in Vilnius earlier to attend the NATO summit, which ends on Wednesday. «I am grateful to our partners for their willingness to take new steps. More weapons for our soldiers means more protection for everyone’s life in Ukraine,” he said. A great hope of the head of state was disappointed.

At the heart of the summit in the Lithuanian capital is Zelensky’s meeting with heads of state and government at a meeting of the new NATO-Ukraine Council, which is intended as a tool for crisis consultation and shared decision-making. The day before, NATO had given Ukraine, which had been attacked by Russia, hopes of admission, but made a formal invitation conditional. Selenskyj had already been annoyed by this foreseeable attitude during the trip to Vilnius.

“We will bring important new defense tools to Ukraine,” he later said after his arrival. Zelenskyi also reiterated plans for bilateral meetings with allies, including Germany, the US, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands and Japan. In Vilnius, he wants to have one-on-one talks with the heads of state and government of the NATO member states, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Zelenskyy stressed in Vilnius that all of Ukraine is waiting for the commitment to join NATO.

“I understand the outrage and impatience, especially in the situation Ukraine finds itself in, I fully understand,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said in the ARD “Tagesthemen” on Tuesday evening. “Nevertheless, the commitment is there, Ukraine will join NATO as soon as the conditions are met. This is an agreement that has never been clear before.”

Russia also started its war against Ukraine to prevent the neighboring country from joining NATO. For more than 16 months, Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion with Western help. At the two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, the alliance states mainly discuss further relations with Ukraine.

Russia continues to pursue its war goals in Ukraine

In Russia, former President Dmitry Medvedev noted on the first day of the NATO summit that it was not clear when and under what conditions Ukraine would be admitted to the military alliance. “It is quite possible that this will never happen,” said the vice president of the National Security Council. Despite this, Russia will continue its war against Ukraine and pursue its goals, such as the “liquidation of the Kiev group” – that is, the leadership around Zelenskyy.

Medvedev commented on the planned delivery of US cluster munitions and fighter jets to Ukraine, saying it would lead to a dead end. “World War III is getting closer,” he said.

The Russian defense minister threatens to use cluster bombs

Russia, in turn, has threatened to use such weapons in the event of US cluster munitions deliveries to Ukraine. Russia also has cluster munitions, which are even more effective, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in Moscow on Tuesday. Until now, his country has been reluctant, but in the case of deliveries to the US, it would be forced to use “analogue means”. The US had previously announced that it would supply the banned weapons to Ukraine.

Shoigu pointed out that neither the United States, Ukraine nor Russia have signed the international treaty banning cluster munitions. Its use will prolong the war, the minister said.

The bombs that explode above the ground scatter projectiles over larger areas. Since many of them often do not explode immediately, they, like mines, are considered a danger to civilians even after the end of hostilities. Germany and 110 other countries have therefore banned cluster munitions through an international agreement.

The Russian armed forces are currently taking additional precautions to protect against cluster bombs, Shoigu said. According to a video released by the ministry, he visited a weapons factory and said that the supply of weapons and ammunition to Russian soldiers had increased many times over.

Moscow denies success of Ukrainian counter-offensive

At the same time, Shoigu contradicted analyzes by Western experts and statements from Kiev about the success of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukraine has not achieved its objective on any part of the front. On the other hand, Ukraine had recently reported large land gains. Russian military bloggers also confirmed Moscow’s losses.

Shoigu claimed that the Ukrainian attacks were not only repelled in many places; on the contrary, the Russian army in the Luhansk region continued to advance in counter-attacks. In addition, masses of Western combat technology were destroyed, including 17 Leopard tanks from Germany. The head of Wagner’s private Russian army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had repeatedly accused Shoigu of using lies to cover up his own defeats on the battlefield. The information provided by the warring parties can only rarely be independently verified.

What will be important on Wednesday

Ukraine continues the major offensive to liberate its territories from Russian occupation in the east and south of the country. The Russian troops have announced resistance with their fortified defense lines at the front.

(yam/sda/dpa)