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The German government fears that Ukraine could use the weapons to carry out attacks on Russian territory. However, according to US media, Washington could soon give Kiev short-range ATACMS artillery missiles, which have a similar range.
When asked about the right time to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized that the decision lies with Kiev. South Korea and the US strongly warned against possible military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
No quick decision will be made in the coming days on the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Friday. At the first “Westphalian Peace Conference” in Münster, Pistorius made it clear that he did not think a few days more or less were important.
Ukraine has long demanded long-range Taurus cruise missiles. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has always reacted cautiously to this – probably because he wants to rule out attacks on Russian territory that could prompt Russia to retaliate.
Russia criticized the possible delivery of ATACMS short-range artillery missiles from the US to Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov spoke in Moscow on Friday of a “non-stop escalation, an ignorance of the obvious risks” of such a decision. At the same time, he claimed that these weapons would not change anything on the battlefield.
Ukraine has long been asking the US for the ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), which has a range of up to 300 kilometers. The missiles will be fired from Himar’s multiple rocket launchers, with which Kiev is already equipped. This could allow the Russian army’s supply lines to be attacked deep into occupied territory. The US government under President Joe Biden has so far rejected a delivery. But there are signs of a turnaround in Washington, as the Wall Street Journal, among others, reported on Friday.
In addition to ATACMS and Taurus, the weapons with a range of hundreds of kilometers also include the Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles, which Kiev received from Great Britain and France. According to British reports, Storm Shadows were used to damage two Russian Black Sea Fleet ships in Sevastopol this week.
According to Pistorius, Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, decides for itself when it is time for negotiations. But Russian President Vladimir Putin must take the first step, the Defense Minister emphasized. “Ultimately, Putin is the one who can end this war by withdrawing his troops tomorrow,” Pistorius said in Münster. However, the Kremlin boss shows no signs of giving up.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for peace with Russia, including the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory – including Crimea and reparations. Ukraine has been defending the Russian invasion with Western help since February 2022.
The US and its ally South Korea have strongly warned against military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Any arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang would violate existing UN resolutions targeting North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, participants at the Joint Strategy and Advisory Group on Extended Deterrence (EDSCG) in Seoul emphasized. Both sides agreed that North Korea and Russia would have to pay “a price” in the case, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho Jin said, according to Yonhap news agency.
However, the Russian head of state defended his country’s cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Pyongyang. “We are not a threat to anyone,” Putin said on Friday in Sochi, where he met with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Korea is Russia’s neighbor and the situation on the divided Korean peninsula is special. But Moscow is not violating any international sanctions, Putin said.
The head of the Kremlin received North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. The US fears that Putin wants to buy large quantities of artillery ammunition and missiles from North Korea to use against Ukraine. In return, Kim could hope for Russian technology to build satellites or nuclear submarines. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied this on Friday. According to the Interfax agency, no military-technical agreements were concluded during Kim’s visit.
The Ukrainian army reported the recapture of a village south of the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut in the east of the country. The town of Andriivka, about ten kilometers from Bakhmut, was captured, causing heavy losses to the enemy. (SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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