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Russia takes nuclear cargo for UN Council

Russia is bringing its accusations, criticized by the West as baseless, that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty” radioactive bomb in the war to the UN Security Council. A corresponding discussion about the United Nations’ most powerful body behind closed doors will take place on Tuesday after a meeting on the conflict in Syria – likely in the early afternoon (local time). That was announced Monday from diplomatic circles in New York.

Despite the Western rejection, Russia insists that Kiev wants to discredit Moscow with a “dirty” – that is, nuclear-contaminated – bomb. Russia made the allegations public on Sunday, while Ukraine, the United States, France and Britain dismissed them. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there was “concrete information about the institutions in Ukraine that have the appropriate technologies to build such a “dirty bomb”.

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Because of the nuclear accusation: Kiev asks for control

Meanwhile, Kiev itself requested inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Experts from the organization would investigate two Ukrainian nuclear facilities named by Russia in the coming days, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced Monday evening. In any case, these sites would be regularly inspected by the IAEA, most recently in September. “No unknown nuclear activity or materials were detected there.”

US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said Monday there was absolutely no truth to the Russian claim. “It’s just not true. We know it’s not true,” Kirby said. “We have seen in the past that Russians sometimes blamed others for things they intended to do.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia not to use its “false claim” about a nuclear-contaminated bomb as a pretext to further escalate the war on Ukraine.

Selenskyj testifies to Russia’s broad failure

Eight months after the start of the Russian war of aggression, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy testified to Moscow’s failure on a broad front. “Ukraine is breaking the so-called second strongest army in the world,” Zelenskyj said in his video message distributed in Kiev on Monday evening. Referring to the beginning of the war eight months ago, on February 24, the president said Russian military influence had died out today. “The sense of defeat in Russia is growing,” Zelenskyy said. The country is becoming increasingly isolated internationally.

Today, Russia must also beg Iran for drones and make up “various nonsense” about Ukraine in order to obtain concessions from the West, Zelenskyj said, citing Moscow’s “dirty bomb” accusations. Russia had previously claimed that chemical and biological weapons were being developed in Ukraine. There was no real proof of that either.

Selenskyj promises Ukrainians the “hardest” winter in history

Zelenskyi reiterated that despite Russian attacks, Ukraine has defended its independence and continues to liberate its occupied territories every day. At the same time, the head of state warned not to give up the fight against Russia and continue to fight until victory. Selenskyj vowed to the country, among other things, a winter “that will be the harshest in our history” in view of the power plants destroyed by Russian missiles.

White House: No negotiations with Russia without Ukraine

The White House reiterated that the US will not engage in direct negotiations with Russia without Kiev’s participation. That’s what they said from the start, “and that remains the approach,” National Security Council communications director John Kirby said Monday. Earlier, 30 members of US President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party suggested in a letter to the White House keeping the door open for direct negotiations with Moscow to achieve a faster end to the war. Kirby stressed that from the US point of view, only the Ukrainians should decide on negotiations.

Lindner wants more money for military aid to Ukraine

Zelenskyi again thanked the West for its extensive help in the fight against Russia. German Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) plans to increase funding for military aid to Ukraine next year. According to the ministry, the resources should increase to at least two billion euros in the coming year, while the draft budget has so far provided around 800 million euros. In concrete terms, this concerns military “training aid”. In a letter to Lindner, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) had previously requested significantly more money for military support to Ukraine than previously planned. The current budget therefore estimates two billion euros in expenditure.

Ukrainian minister: Reconstruction also helps Germany

Ahead of the Ukraine conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the Ukrainian government is pushing to promote investment in the country’s infrastructure. “It is important to understand that regardless of the war, reconstruction must start now,” Regional Development Minister Oleksiy Chernyshev told the German news agency. Reconstruction in the recaptured areas is also in Germany’s immediate interest. “The faster we restore infrastructure, especially social infrastructure such as hospitals, nurseries and schools, the faster the Ukrainian refugees will come back.” This would also reduce the cost of caring for refugees in Germany.

Ukraine hopes Germany will transfer $500 million a month to fund its war budget. “It’s about a reliable schedule — at least for the next six months,” Zelenskyj’s economic adviser, Alexander Rodnyansky, told the Funke media group newspapers (Tuesday). “We need four to five billion dollars every month for our budget. We think Germany could earn about $500 million a month, especially if we look ahead to 2023.” Ukraine hopes the EU will contribute about $2 billion a month.

What is important on Tuesday

At the invitation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, international experts will discuss the reconstruction of Ukraine after the end of the war on Tuesday. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Schmyhal will also participate in the conference. Scholz and von der Leyen described reconstruction as a “generational task” and called for a “Marshall Plan” for the country attacked by Russia – modeled on the US reconstruction program for Germany and all of Europe after World War II. (sda/dpa)