No formal decision on Taurus – the night update without photos Will Donald Trump be the next speaker?

Ukraine has been demanding for months that Germany supply Taurus cruise missiles to attack Russian positions far behind the front line. According to a report by ‘Bild’ and the ARD Capital Studio, it is now clear that the federal government will not comply with the wishes of the country attacked by Russia for the time being. However, there was initially no confirmation of this on Wednesday evening. “There is no new status to report on the issue of the Taurus cruise missiles,” a government spokeswoman said when asked by the German news agency.

No formal rejection from Kiev

In plain language this means: there is no further formal decision. The federal government has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that the decision will not be taken lightly and that the issue will be discussed with alliance partners.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is adamant that the US will continue its aid to Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia, despite the budget dispute in Congress. “I am very convinced that the US Congress will make the necessary support to Ukraine possible,” the SPD politician said at a press conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolaj Denkow in Berlin on Wednesday. “There are a large, large number of representatives from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party who care about this support and there are also large majorities in favor.”

Therefore, he is convinced that the political process will succeed in approving the funds for further support to Ukraine, Scholz said. US President Joe Biden assured in a telephone call with key allies on Tuesday that the US could also be trusted on this issue.

The interim budget passed by the US Congress this weekend does not provide for further aid to Ukraine. This does not mean that the US will no longer support Kiev from now on. But the money approved so far is running out.

The American president would soon give an important speech on Ukraine and support for the attacked country, he said on Wednesday on the sidelines of an appointment in Washington.

‘Bild’ also reported that Germany has not yet formally rejected the government in Kiev’s request for missiles with a range of 500 kilometers. However, it has been made clear internally that the Taurus missiles are not currently being delivered. Scholz is therefore keeping his options open for the future.

The Chancellor has recently repeatedly publicly stated that Germany currently wants to focus on the supply of air defense systems. His skeptical attitude towards cruise missiles is well known. The reason behind this is that the weapons can also be used to shoot far into Russian territory.

Zelensky expects new commitments in the field of air defense

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky expects new commitments from the West to provide additional anti-aircraft systems, as he said in his evening video message in Kiev. “We are doing our best to equip Ukraine with more air defense systems before winter. We expect certain decisions from our partners.” He gave no details.

The head of state had repeatedly called for more anti-aircraft systems to make cities safer and especially to better protect the energy infrastructure attacked by the Russians. The anti-aircraft systems the West has supplied so far are helping Ukraine fend off the majority of Russian attacks with drones, missiles and cruise missiles. However, according to the leadership in Kiev, many more such systems are needed. Together with the deliveries of F16 fighter jets announced by the West, Ukraine wants to regain control of its airspace.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression for more than a year and a half. The leadership in Kiev is mainly dependent on Western financial aid and arms supplies.

The US sends seized ammunition to Ukraine

The US government says it has sent ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine. The ammunition was originally seized by the US military from a ship in the Gulf of Oman in December 2022, the responsible US Military Regional Command (Centcom) and the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday (local time). It was said that Iran wanted to send about 1.1 million shots to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. This is a violation of a UN Security Council resolution. The US therefore declared that the ammunition was their property.

With this arms transfer, the U.S. government’s actions against one authoritarian regime now directly support Ukraine’s fight against another authoritarian regime, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Former European Commission head Juncker considers Ukraine “ineligible”

Former European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker warned that Ukraine would join the European Union too quickly. “Anyone who has had anything to do with Ukraine knows that this is a country that is corrupt at all levels of society,” Juncker told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Thursday). “Despite efforts, the country is not eligible for accession; it needs massive internal reform processes,” Juncker continued. The EU has had bad experiences with the rule of law with some “so-called new members”. This must not happen again.

Such an approach would also not be fair to the country itself, Juncker emphasized. “You should not make false promises to the people in Ukraine who are up to their necks in suffering.” Nevertheless, a ‘European perspective’ for Moldova and Ukraine, ‘which defends itself so virtuously (against Russia) and defends European values’, must be maintained.

European Council President Charles Michel recently supported Ukraine’s accession to the European Union by 2030 – under certain conditions.

What will be important on Thursday

The Kremlin has announced a speech by President Vladimir Putin at the major Valdai political discussion forum in Sochi on the Black Sea. Putin is expected to comment on global conflicts, including Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to the organizers, 140 experts from more than 40 countries will attend the 20th Valdai Forum. (sda/dpa)