In its bid to cut planet-warming emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 from 1990 levels, the European Commission has proposed a 100 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035.

That means it would be impossible to sell combustion engine cars from then.

European Parliament lawmakers backed the proposals this month, before negotiations with EU countries on the final law took place.

Speaking at an event hosted by Germany’s BDI industry association, Lindner said there would continue to be opportunities for combustion engines.

So a ban was wrong, he confirmed, saying the government would not agree to this European legislation.

But Lindner, a member of the pro-business Free Democrats, which shares power with the Social Democrats and Greens, said Germany would still be a leading market for electric vehicles.

By speeding the shift to zero-emission electric vehicles, the EU aims to tackle the quarter of EU emissions that come from transport, which in recent years have been rising.

Firms including Volkswagen have already announced plans to stop selling combustion engine cars in Europe by 2035, but some industry groups have warned against banning a specific technology, and said more ambitious targets can only be met if policymakers support a massive rollout of charging infrastructure.

The EU is also negotiating proposals to require countries to install public charging points at regular intervals along major roads.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/06/22/germany-refuses-to-agree-to-eu-ban-on-new-fossil-fuel-cars-from-2035

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The draft bill’s main provisions include measures to scrap costs and paperwork for businesses trading within the UK, while ensuring that full customs checks are done for goods entering the EU.

Businesses will also be given the choice of placing goods on the market in Northern Ireland according to either UK or EU goods rules. It also changes the governance arrangements so that disputes are resolved by independent arbitration and not by the European Court of Justice. The UK government hopes to have it adopted by parliament before the summer recess.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that while the UK wanted to reach an accord with Brussels on the protocol, the “only make progress through negotiations if the EU are willing to change the protocol itself”.

“At the moment, they aren’t,” she added.

The protocol was negotiated and agreed by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as part of the Brexit deal that took the UK out of the bloc in 2020 but its status has always been controversial. Last year, talks between UK and EU officials reopened in a bid to ease the implementation of the protocol but have made little progress.

European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said that the bill was “damaging to mutual trust and a formula for uncertainty” and warned that the EU would now consider whether to continue the infringement procedure launched against the UK government in March 2021. That decision, expected to be made this week, could lead to sanctions against the UK including the suspension of the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Irish Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, said that it was “very regrettable for a country like the UK to renege on an international treaty”.

“I think it represents a new low point because the natural expectation of democratic countries like ourselves, the UK and all across Europe is that we honour international agreements that we enter into,” he added.

Meanwhile, 52 of the 90 members of the Northern Ireland assembly, representing the Irish nationalist parties Sinn Fein and the SDLP, and the non-sectarian Alliance party, on Monday signed a letter to Johnson described the protocol as “a product of the hard Brexit you personally championed and a withdrawal deal you personally signed.”

“Whilst not ideal, the protocol currently represents the only available protections for Northern Ireland from the worst impacts of that hard Brexit. The protocol also offers clear economic advantages to our region, and the opportunity for unique access to two major markets,” they added.

However, no assembly members from the three unionist parties in the Northern Ireland assembly, all of whom want the protocol to be scrapped or significantly revised, signed the letter.

Sinn Féin’s leader in the assembly, Michelle O’Neill, who is set to become the First Minister of the next devolved government in Northern Ireland, accused the prime minister of breaking the terms of the Brexit agreement.

“Boris Johnson’s action is illegal, he is in clear breach of international law, regardless of the detail,” she said.

There are concerns from some Conservative lawmakers in Johnson’s party that overriding the protocol amounts to a lack of good faith and could undermine the UK’s reputation for upholding the rule of law. That is of particular concern to Johnson following last week’s vote of confidence, in which 148 of his 359 MPs stated that they had no confidence in his leadership, with many hinting that they would vote against laws brought forward by his government.

However, in legal advice related to the bill UK government lawyers insist that “this is a genuinely exceptional situation and it is only in the challenging, complex and unique circumstances of Northern Ireland that the government has, reluctantly, decided to introduce legislative measures which, on entry into force, envisage the non-performance of certain obligations.”

The legal advice also cites Article 16 – a clause in the Protocol that allows either side to take measures if applying the protocol leads to serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that restrict trade. The unionist community, and the UK government, argue that, by undermining Northern Ireland’s status in the UK, the protocol is harming trade, and also damaging political stability in Northern Ireland.

Since last month’s Assembly elections, where Sinn Fein topped the poll, the second placed party, the Democratic Unionist party, has refused to agree to the formation of a new power sharing executive until its concerns about the protocol are resolved.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson defended the new UK bill as “a solution – and we need solutions”, adding that his party would “continue to work with government to ensure that this legislation progresses.”

Source: https://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/uk-could-face-eu-sanctions-over-new-ni-protocol-bill/

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The Commission last year unveiled plans to stop the sale of vehicles using internal combustion engines as part of an ambitious climate target to cut emissions by more than half over this decade and 90 percent by 2035.

The measure passed by 339 votes to 249 with 24 abstentions at a session in Strasbourg, France – in practice limiting future sales to emissions-free all-electric models.

Cars currently account for 12 percent of all CO2 emissions in the 27-member EU bloc, while transportation overall accounts for around a quarter.

The conservative European People’s Party (EPP), the parliament’s biggest group of lawmakers, had sought to push a compromise that would have diluted the proposals and allowed sales of hybrid vehicles to continue.

Their amendment was narrowly defeated while an ambitious attempt by the Greens to bring the measure deadline forward to 2030 also failed.

Conservatives were also unable to push through amendments on having a car’s production-related carbon footprint taken into consideration as well – potentially allowing carmakers credits for synthetic, so-called e-fuels, made with captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen produced from renewable sources.

After the vote, EU environmental committee chair Pascal Canfin triumphantly tweeted: “100 percent zero emission cars in 2035! I strongly welcome the vote on CO2 standards in the @Europarl_EN. This position of the European Parliament is an important victory and consistent with our objective of climate neutrality.”

German Green EU legislator Michael Bloss also hailed the vote as a move that would simultaneously protect the climate and jobs in the sector.

French EPP lawmaker Agnes Evren was less impressed, however, with a decision she said would “condemn industrial activity and strongly penalize consumers.”

She said the legislation would prevent the commercialization of high-performance hybrid vehicles or vehicles using biofuels, whose production she said could potentially prove less expensive and less polluting than electric vehicles.

(Cover: An electronic road sign reads “Pollution, speed limit 70km/h for passenger cars” on the Bordeaux ring road, southwestern France, January 23, 2017. /Reuters)

Source(s): AFP

Sources: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-06-09/EU-lawmakers-pass-ban-on-new-petrol-diesel-cars-by-2035-1aIny1N3KTu/index.html

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The embargo cuts off Russian oil delivered by sea, while exempting oil imported through pipelines.

Landlocked Hungary had threatened to oppose restrictions on oil imports, a move that would have scuttled the effort that requires consensus of all EU members. European Council President Charles Michel said he expects EU ambassadors to formally endorse the embargo, which is part of a larger sanctions package, on Wednesday.

Ukrainian leaders have long called for banning Russian oil imports in order to deny Russia income it can use to fuel its war effort. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his appeal as he spoke to the EU Monday.

Combined with pledges from countries such as Germany to phase out their Russian oil imports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement will “effectively cut around 90% of oil imports from Russia to the EU by the end of the year.”

Other parts of the sanction package include assets freezes and travel bans on individuals, and excluding Russia’s biggest banks, Sberbank, from the SWIFT global financial transfer system. The EU is also barring three Russian state-owned broadcasters from distributing content in EU countries.

EU leaders also agreed to provide Ukraine with $9.7 billion in assistance for the country’s economy and reconstruction efforts.

Luhansk fighting

Fierce fighting has erupted on the streets of the eastern Ukraine city of Sievierodonetsk, with Kyiv’s forces trying desperately to fight off the Russian onslaught.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the situation as “indescribably difficult.” In a televised speech, he described capturing Sievierodonetsk as “a fundamental task for the occupiers” and said Ukraine was doing all it could to protect the city from a Russian takeover.

Russian troops have entered the city, power and communications have been knocked out, and “the city has been completely ruined,” Sievierodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Striuk told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

“The number of victims is rising every hour, but we are unable to count the dead and the wounded amid the street fighting,” the mayor said. Striuk said 12,000 to 13,000 civilians remain in the city that once had 100,000 residents. They are sheltering in basements and bunkers to escape the Russian assault.

Striuk estimated 1,500 civilians in the city have died since the war began, from Russian attacks as well as from a lack of medicine or treatment.

Sievierodonetsk, the last major Ukrainian-held population center in the eastern Luhansk province, has become the focus of Russian attacks as Moscow attempts to control the Donbas region after failing to topple Zelenskyy or capture the capital, Kyiv, during more than three months of fighting. Sievierodonetsk is about 140 kilometers from the Russian border.

Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said Russian troops “use the same tactics over and over again. They shell for several hours — for three, four, five hours in a row — and then attack. Those who attack die. Then shelling and attack follow again and so on until they break through somewhere.”

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden said he would not send rocket systems to Ukraine that could reach Russia. Ukraine has received extensive U.S. military aid but has requested more powerful rocket systems.

Toll on journalists

Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday that 32 media workers had been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

That includes French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, who died Monday near Sievierodonetsk.

French broadcaster BFM TV said the 32-year-old journalist was hit by shrapnel while reporting on Ukrainian evacuations from the area.

French President Emmanuel Macron sent his condolences to the family and colleagues of Leclerc-Imhoff, writing in a tweet that the journalist died showing “the reality of the war.”

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who was in Ukraine on Monday, called for an investigation into the journalist’s death, saying in a statement that “France demands that a probe be carried out as soon as possible.”

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/eu-agrees-to-ban-majority-of-russian-oil/6596526.html

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The European Union intends to mobilize up to €300 billion ($316 billion) by 2030 to become independent of Russian energy imports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

“We must now reduce as rapidly as possible our reliance on Russia in energy. We can,” von der Leyen said in a speech in Brussels, presenting the EU’s plan to break away from Russian energy imports dubbed “REPowerEU.”

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Europe’s largest gas supplier, has prompted the European Union to reconsider its energy policy.

Russia supplies 40% of the EU’s gas and 27% of its imported oil. Russia has already cut off EU member states Poland and Bulgaria after they refused to pay for natural gas in rubles.

An EU ban on coal from Russia is scheduled to come into effect in August, and the bloc has said it will try to cut demand for Russian gas by two-thirds by the end of the year.

However, EU countries are still struggling to agree sanctions on Russian oil, as Hungary and other landlocked countries oppose the move amid concerns about the costs of switching to alternative sources.

How to tackle the energy crisis
To reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, Brussels is offering a three-pronged plan including a shift to importing more non-Russian gas, faster adoption of renewable energy, and greater energy-saving efforts.

“REPowerEU will help us to save more energy, accelerate the phasing-out of fossil fuels and kick-start investments on a new scale. This will be speed-charging for our European Green Deal,” von der Leyen said.

The European Commission president mentioned energy savings as the quickest and cheapest way to tackle the current energy crisis. According to von der Leyen, the EU energy efficiency target for 2030 will be increased from 9% to 13%, and the 2030 target for EU renewable energy from 40% to 45%.

On the supply side, von der Leyen underscored diversifying energy imports away from fossil fuels and accelerating the clean energy transition. The EU 27 government leaders agreed to set up a platform for the joint purchase of gas, LNG and hydrogen, she said.

How much will it cost
The REPowerEU plan will cost up to €300 billion ($316 billion). According to von der Leyen, the sum will include approximately €72 billion ($76 billion) in grants and €225 billion in loans.

The investments will include up to €10 billion for gas infrastructure, such as missing links between member states and LNG terminals.

Up to €2 billion will be invested in oil infrastructure with a view to stopping the shipment of Russian oil.

All the rest of the financing will go into speeding and scaling up the clean energy transition, von der Leyen said.

dh/msh (dpa, Reuters)

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-unveils-300-billion-plan-to-reduce-its-energy-dependency-on-russia/a-61838801

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—Turkey blocks NATO accession talks for Finland and Sweden
—Russian soldier pleads guilty at murder trial in Ukraine
—Ukrainian and Russian officials say peace negotiations have stagnated
—Finland and Sweden submit NATO membership applications
—This article was last updated at 22:25 UTC/GMT

This live updates article has been closed. For the latest on the war in Ukraine, please click here.

Zelenskyy says the war will be long in nightly address

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to prepare the Ukrainian public for a long war in their country during his nightly video address late Wednesday.

He told the Ukrainian people, “Kherson, Melitopol, Berdyansk, Enerhodar, Mariupol and all our cities and towns that are under occupation, under temporary occupation, should know that Ukraine will return.”

He said however the length of time that would take is dependent on battlefield conditions.

“We are trying to do it as soon as possible. We are committed to driving out the occupiers and guaranteeing Ukraine real security,” Zelenskyy said from Kyiv.

Ukraine extended martial law and the mass mobilization by 90 days until August 23.

UN chief hopeful about talks on Ukraine, Russia grain and fertilizer exports

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was in “intense contact” with Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States and the European Union to try and restore Ukrainian grain shipments and revive Russian fertilizer exports.

“I am hopeful, but there is still a way to go,” he told a food security meeting at the UN hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “The complex security, economic and financial implications require goodwill on all sides.”

The war in Ukraine has further fueled already-soaring global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel, and fertilizer.

At a separate meeting earlier, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “using hunger as a weapon.”

She announced plans to launch a global food security alliance. “The terrible consequences of Russia’s war go far beyond Ukraine,” Schulze warned.

On Wednesday, the World Bank also announced an additional $12 billion (€11.5 million) in funding for projects to address the global food security crisis, bringing the total to $30 billion.

Russia closing Canada’s CBC Moscow bureau

Russia has withdrawn the visas and press credentials of Canada’s CBC and Radio Canada journalists and is shutting the organization’s Moscow bureau.

“With regret, we continue to notice open attacks on the Russian media from the countries of the so-called collective West who call themselves civilized,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The move comes after Ottawa banned Russian state TV station Russia Today (RT).

In a statement, the CBC and its French-language unit Radio Canada said they had operated a bureau in Moscow for 44 years and were “deeply disappointed” by the decision.

Several other news outlets have lost their credentials and accreditation since the start of the war, while DW was told to clear out its Moscow bureau shortly before the invasion of Ukraine.

US reopens embassy in Kyiv

The United States reopened its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

In February, the embassy was closed, and diplomatic personnel “temporarily relocated” to Lviv in western Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of Russia’s unconscionable invasion, and, as a result, the Stars and Stripes are flying over the embassy once again,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Secretary Antony Blinken@SecBlinken

United States government official

The Stars and Stripes fly again over Embassy Kyiv. I can announce that we have officially resumed Embassy operations in Ukraine’s capital. We stand proudly with the government and people of Ukraine as they bravely defend their country from Putin’s brutal invasion. Slava Ukraini!

Many western countries, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom have reopened their embassies in Kyiv over the past month, after Russian troops pulled back from the city to focus on an offensive in the east of the country.

Prominent Austrians call for national debate on country’s neutrality

A group of prominent Austrians has written an open letter urging the country to engage in a “serious, nationwide discussion about the future of Austria’s security and defense policy.”

They called for this discussion to take place without blinkers. Acknowledging that they themselves were of different opinions on specific issues like neutrality and non-alignment, a deeper EU defense policy or Austria joining NATO, they said they agreed on one thing: “We are united in the conviction that the status quo of our security policy is not only unsustainable but dangerous for our country,” they wrote.

The group includes military and economic experts, as well as former ambassadors.

“We are now unprepared, and this is the worst security crisis in Europe since 1945,” they wrote.

Since the start of the war, Chancellor Karl Nehammer has struck a delicate balance with regard to Austria’s position. He has maintained that the country has no plans to change its security status, while at the same time declaring that military neutrality doesn’t necessarily mean moral neutrality.

Austria has strongly condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

European Commission starts work on joint defense spending

The European Commission urged member countries to replace stockpiles of arms sent to Ukraine.

The Commission is offering €500 million ($526 million) over two years to countries willing to work in groups to replenish their stocks.

It is part of a new plan under which the EU would play a more significant role in coordinating increased military spending amongst its members.

“We need to spend more on defense, and we need to do it in a coordinated way,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

A joint procurement taskforce would coordinate spending to replace stockpiles of arms sent to Ukraine in the short term. It would also help countries phase out Soviet-era equipment and improve air and missile defense systems.

The commission eventually wants the task force to lay the groundwork for a bigger joint procurement program in the future.

Czechs to get German tanks as it arms Ukraine

Germany would donate 15 tanks to the Czech armed forces.

It is part of a program under which Berlin aimed to help countries pass their stocks of Soviet weaponry to Ukraine.

“The exchange is another good example of how we are helping Ukraine in its brave fight against Russian aggression,” Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said.

Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said the move showed Germany’s appreciation of her country’s military help to Ukraine.

The Czechs have given Ukraine Soviet-era heavy weapons worth at least $130 million (€124 million). Prague has not disclosed the exact equipment, though local media reports suggest it had sent Soviet-made T-72 tanks and other heavy technology to Ukraine.

The Czech Republic also talked to Germany about purchasing up to 50 more new Leopard A7+ tanks.

Ukrainian refugees employed to help with Oktoberfest preparations

Ukrainian refugees have been pictured making and decorating gingerbread hearts at the ‘Zuckersucht’ bakery in Aschheim near Munich in Germany, for Oktoberfest.

Maria, a refugee from Mykolaiv in Ukraine, decorates gingerbread Oktoberfest hearts

Over the weekend, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote on Twitter that around 2,000 refugees were arriving in Germany each day, down from 15, 000 at the start of the war.

She added that many more were returning to their country across the Polish-Ukrainian border.

Refugees from Ukraine will be able to receivebasic welfare benefits in Germany as of June 1.

US and Russia contradict each other over sanctions impact

The US Treasury Secretary said sanctions against Russia had an enormous impact, but Russia said its economy was showing resilience.

“Russia is experiencing recession, high inflation, acute challenges in their financial system, and (an) inability to procure the material and products they need to support their war or their economy,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters ahead of a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Bonn, Germany.

Russia Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, though, was confident that inflation in Russia would slow down further.

Without directly commenting on Yellen’s remarks, Reshetnikov said Russia had withstood the first hit from sanctions, and it is impossible to isolate the country from abroad.

Turkey blocks NATO accession talks for Finland and Sweden — sources

Turkey has blocked the start of NATO accession talks for Finland and Sweden, diplomatic sources told DW on condition of anonymity.

Sources told DW’s Teri Schultz, currently on assignment in Stockholm, that NATO’s governing body could not decide as planned to start the accession process for the two candidate members as Turkey objected.

Teri Schultz@terischultz
Not yet, Nordics.

#NATO ambassadors discussed the Finnish and Swedish membership bids this morning and could have approved opening negotiations, but #Turkey blocked the decision.

Finland and Sweden submitted their bids to join the military alliance earlier on Wednesday.

Turkey claims that both Sweden and Finland have provided a refuge for Kurdish groups it labels “terrorists,” and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara will not approve the expansion.

Erdogan reiterated his objections on Wednesday, during a speech to lawmakers from his party, saying that “we cannot say yes” to Finland and Sweden’s bid until they return “terrorists” to Turkey.

Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial

Vadim S., a 21-year-old Russian tank commander held in Ukraine, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing an unarmed civilian.

After his convoy was hit, the defendant and four other fleeing soldiers are alleged to have stole a car from outside the village of Chupakhivka in the early days of the invasion.

He is accused of attacking the 62-year-old, who was riding past them on a bicycle, to prevent him from reporting their presence.

“One of the military servicemen ordered the accused to kill a civilian so that he would not report them. The man died on the spot just a few dozen meters from his home,” Ukrainian prosecutors said.

The soldier is charged with war crimes and premeditated murder and could face a life sentence.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it had not been informed about the case.

“We still have no information. And the ability to provide assistance due to the lack of our diplomatic mission there is also very limited,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it is expelling scores of diplomats from several European countries in a retaliatory move to their expulsions of Russian diplomatic personnel.

Moscow said it was expelling 34 “employees of French diplomatic missions” in a tit-for-tat move.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said 27 employees of the Spanish embassy in Moscow and the Spanish Consulate General in Saint Petersburg “have been declared personae non-gratae.” Meanwhile, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian news agencies that 24 Italian diplomats had also been expelled, also in an apparent retaliatory move.

A diplomatic source told the AFP news agency the French diplomats had been given two weeks to leave the country. The announcement comes in response to France kicking out 35 Russians with diplomatic status in April.

The French Foreign Office said the step had “no legitimate basis.” In a statement, it said that “the work of the diplomats and staff at [France’s] embassy in Russia… takes place fully within the framework of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic and consular relations.” Paris expelled the Russian staff in April on suspicion of being spies.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Wednesday condemned Russia’s expulsions of the various nations’ diplomats. “This is clearly a hostile act,” he said.

EU proposes up to €9 billion in more aid to Ukraine

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed extra aid to Ukraine this year of up to nine billion euros ($9.5 billion).

Speaking in a broadcast statement, von der Leyen said the fund would help the country cope with the ravages of war.

The Commission president said it was time to think about rebuilding Ukraine whenever the war ends. She added that the EU had “a strategic interest in leading this reconstruction effort”.

Speaking in a broadcast statement, von der Leyen said the EU also intends to mobilize up to €300 billion of investment by 2030 to end the bloc’s reliance on Russian oil and gas.

The investments will include €10 billion for gas infrastructure, €2 billion for oil, and the rest for clean energy, von der Leyen told reporters.

Ukraine calls for Azovstal fighters to be exchanged

Ukrainian military officials say they still hope fighters extracted from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol could be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war.

However, Russian lawmakers plan to take up a resolution that would prevent the exchange of Azov Regiment fighters on Wednesday.

The soldiers held out for months inside the Azovstal steelworks plant while Mariupol was under siege.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, nearly 1,000 Ukrainian holed up at the works have surrendered this week — many of whom are wounded.

They are reported to have been taken to a reopened former penal colony in Russian-controlled territory.

It’s unclear how many fighters still remain at the sprawling site which became the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance within Mariupol.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has said negotiations for the troops’ release are ongoing with some fighters still believed to be inside the mill.

Donetsk separatist leader Denis Pushilin has said a court will decide the fate of the Ukrainian fighters, a local media outlet reported.

G7 ministers meet to discuss finance for Ukraine

The finance ministers of the Group of Seven leading economies are meeting in Germany to discuss short-term aid to stabilize the Ukrainian national budget.

It’s believed that the country needs some €5 billion of assistance for an initial period of three months.

The consultations beginning on Wednesday near the western city of Bonn are to be attended by central bank governors and some experts. A joint declaration is planned for Friday.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday said the European Union was likely to make significant financial contributions to keep Ukraine going. Yellen added that she hoped other G7 members like Britain, Canada and Japan would also step up.

Yellen, who was in Brussels on Tuesday, said the US has made a strong commitment to funding Ukraine and that it was clear that the EU was “very serious about wanting to provide the necessary aid as well.”

US Treasury officials have also said they plan to propose the idea of European countries imposing tariffs on Russian oil — as a faster alternative to an outright ban on it — at the meeting.

EU officials are now considering a phased embargo on Russian oil, but there are concerns from eastern European countries about supply. A tariff mechanism would be designed to keep Russian oil on the market but limit the amount of revenue that can flow to Moscow from exports, the Treasury officials said.

Finland and Sweden formally submit NATO bids

Finland and Sweden have formally submitted their bids to join NATO , despite Turkey’s threat to block the addition of the Nordic nations.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he had received application letters from the two Nordic countries’ ambassadors.

“I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partners,” Stoltenberg told reporters.

Finland — which has a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia — and its neighbor Sweden have been disturbed by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The two countries’ accession would end decades of military neutrality to join the alliance as a defense against feared aggression from Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the expansion of NATO might trigger a response. However, the main obstacle to Finland and Sweden’s membership comes from within the alliance.

Turkey claims that both Sweden and Finland have provided a refuge for terrorist groups and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists Ankara will not approve the expansion.

Any bid to join NATO must be approved unanimously by all 30 members of the alliance.

US sets up conflict monitor on Ukraine

The United States has set up a new monitoring body to build legal cases against Russia for crimes committed during its war against Ukraine.

The State Department says it aims to contribute to eventual prosecutions in the domestic courts of Ukraine and those of third-party countries, plus US courts and other tribunals. The monitor would also provide information refuting Russian disinformation campaigns.

Announcing the creation of the Conflict Observatory, State Department spokesman Ned Price said it would “ensure that crimes committed by Russia’s forces are documented and perpetrators are held accountable.”

“The program will capture, analyze, and make publicly available open-source information and evidence of atrocities, human rights abuses, and harm to civilian infrastructure, including Ukraine’s cultural heritage,” he said.

Reports will be posted on ConflictObservatory.org. Price said the observatory was a collaboration that would involve scientists and the private sector.

First war crimes trial against Russian soldier in Kyiv

The first war crimes trial against a Russian soldier since the start of the invasion is set to start on Wednesday.

A Russian soldier will appear at Kyiv’s Solomyansky district court from 2 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) accused of killing a 62-year-old civilian in northeastern Ukraine on February 28. He faces a possible life sentence.

“He understands what he is being accused of,” his lawyer Viktor Ovsiannikov told the AFP news agency. “This is the first such case in Ukraine with such an indictment. There is no relevant legal practice or verdicts on such cases. We will sort it out.”

Ukrainian authorities said the suspect is cooperating with investigators.

Prosecutors say the suspect was commanding a unit in a tank division when his convoy came under attack. According to prosecutors, he and four other soldiers stole a car and as they were traveling near the northeastern village of Shupakhivka, they encountered a 62-year-old man on a bicycle.

“One of the soldiers ordered the accused to kill the civilian so that he would not denounce them,” the prosecutor’s office said. The suspect then shot the man from the window of the vehicle, prosecutors say.

The trial is likely to be followed by other cases. Two Russian soldiers are due to go on trial on Thursday for allegedly firing rockets at civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv region.

On Tuesday, the office of the Ukrainian chief prosecutor tweeted that it had registered 11,846 cases of “crimes of aggression and war crimes” and 5,644 “crimes against national security” involving 623 suspects.

Peace negotiations have stagnated — Ukrainian, Russian officials

Ukrainian and Russian officials have said that negotiations between the two countries have stagnated.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of hardening its stance. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko that Kyiv has “practically withdrawn from the negotiation process.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western countries want to use Ukraine to their strategic advantage. He argued that no peace deal can be made if negotiators focus on the West’s concerns rather than the immediate situation in Ukraine.

“We always say that we are ready for negotiations … but we were given no other choice,” Lavrov said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that talks are “on hold” as Russia is not willing to accept it “will not achieve any goals.”

“Russia does not demonstrate a key understanding of today’s processes in the world,” Podolyak said, according to Ukrainian media. “And its extremely negative role.”

Russia’s Lavrov says NATO accession for Finland, Sweden makes ‘no big difference’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Finland and Sweden joining NATO would not make “much difference.”

“Finland and Sweden, as well as other neutral countries, have been participating in NATO military exercises for many years,” Lavrov said.

“NATO takes their territory into account when planning military advances to the East. So in this sense there is probably not much difference. Let’s see how their territory is used in practice in the North Atlantic alliance.”

Russian deputy PM visits Kherson region

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin has visited the Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

RIA Novosti reported that Khusnullin said that the region would take a “worthy place in our Russian family.” Kherson is under Russian occupation.

On May 1, Moscow introduced the Russian ruble as official currency in the region.

A few days ago, the Russian-installed local government in Kherson said it plans to appeal to Moscow for the right to become part of the Russian Federation.

EU to unveil plan to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels

The European Commission will unveil a €210 billion plan ($222 billion) to end Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2027 and accelerate the shift to green energy.

Russia supplies 40% of the EU’s gas and 27% of its imported oil.

According to draft documents cited by Reuters, Brussels plans to import more non-Russian gas, implement a faster rollout of renewable energy and make efforts to save energy.

Summary of events in Ukraine-Russia crisis on Tuesday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise video address at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival. The former actor turned statesman asked for the cinema world’s solidarity with his people in the face of the Russian invasion.

The International Criminal Court sent war crimes investigators to Ukraine in what it called the largest deployment of its kind in the ICC’s history.

Eight people were killed and 12 wounded in a Russian airstrike on the village of Desna in the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv, the regional emergency service said.

Finland’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a proposal to join NATO.

Ukraine’s military said it was working to evacuate all remaining troops from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkish concerns over Finland and Sweden’s possible membership in the alliance need to be addressed.

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv was reportedly hit by at least eight explosions.

Catch up on yesterday’s events by clicking here

si,rc/jsi (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-give-czechs-tanks-so-it-could-provide-more-weapons-to-ukraine-as-it-happened/a-61832918

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The number of refugees from Ukraine has surpassed 601,000 since the start of the war, according to Bankodi, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The Chief Security Advisor stressed that the Hungarian government had sent aid worth €7.9 million to Transcarpathia as well as western Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the latter.

“Hungary helps by sending charitable aid, by accepting refugees, providing health care, transport, accommodation, and jobs as well as by organizing their journey further… but our priority is the security of Hungarians and do not want Hungary to be dragged into this war,” he pointed out, as reported by About Hungary.

Bankodi emphasized that the southern border is under migration pressure, adding that about 500-600 migrants attempt to reach Hungary in an unlawful way every day.

The Chief Security Advisor said that migration has picked up on the key routes, probably due to the end of winter and the abolishment of COVID-19 measures, such as entry rules and travel bans introduced by governments to contain the virus’ further spread.

Authorities in Hungary have continuously expressed their support for refugees from Ukraine. Recently Hungarian authorities stressed that they could welcome over 900,000 Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing the war.

Back then, Bakondi stressed that the surge in the number of Ukrainian refugees meant that there was an increase in the need for organizations to work together in this regard.

“Hungary must continue supporting Transcarpathia Hungarians because their region has seen a big influx of people from eastern Ukraine who have lost everything,” he stressed.

Besides, aid centres on the Hungary-Ukraine border are also prepared to accommodate the increased number of refugees who are fleeing the war, the Chief Security Advisor stressed.

European countries have opened their doors to a large number of Ukrainians due to the war in Ukraine, especially its neighboring countries.

In addition, as part of efforts to help Ukrainians, the Commission of the European Union previously stressed that it would activate the Temporary Protection Directive, which attempts to allow refugees to stay for at least one year in one country, and also have access to the education and labour market.

Recently, the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) stressed that more than 1.8 million Ukrainians who fled the war registered for Temporary Protection in EU countries so far.

At the same time, the EUAA revealed that 28,800 Ukrainians filed an application for International Protection.

Source: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/about-10000-refugees-from-ukraine-arrive-in-hungary-every-day/

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The vote came after a series of speeches during which the majority of countries called on Russia to end the violence in Ukraine, which has continued for nearly one week.

Sergiy Kyslytsya, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.N., urged countries to vote in favor of the resolution in an emotional address that ended with applause from the chamber.

“It’s already clear that the goal of Russia is not an occupation only. It is genocide,” Kyslytsya said.

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., asked members to vote against the resolution and said Western powers were exerting pressure on other countries to vote in favor of it. Belarus and Syria were among the countries that spoke out against the resolution.

There was widespread international support for the resolution
Ultimately, the resolution passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 141-5 with 35 abstentions. The five countries that voted against it were Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea.

“The truth is that this war was one man’s choice and one man alone: President Putin. It was his choice to force hundreds of thousands of people to stuff their lives into backpacks and flee the country,” said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

“Those were President Putin’s choices. Now it is time to make ours. The United States is choosing to stand with the Ukrainian people,” she added.

The measure’s passage showed that “a global anti-Putin coalition has been formed and is functioning,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a tweet after the vote.

“The world is with us. The truth is on our side. Victory will be ours!” Zelenskyy added.

Russia’s invasion has continued despite diplomatic pressure
The vote came amid multiple efforts to wall off Russia diplomatically, a surge in the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine, an initial estimate that the humanitarian effort within the country will cost more than $1 billion, and an emergency, often heated debate at the General Assembly. None of the diplomatic activities appeared to slow Russia’s attacks Wednesday morning, as new reports said Russian airstrikes had hit a regional police headquarters in Kharkiv, injuring three people.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, singling out Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in her speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday, said the war was based on lies.

“Mr. Lavrov, you can deceive yourself, but you won’t deceive us. And you won’t deceive our people and you won’t deceive your own people,” she said.

Russian diplomats, including Nebenzia, have called the attacks against Ukraine a “special military operation” intended to defend two separatist regions.

“Russia is seeking to end this war,” Nebenzia said earlier this week.

The resolution “demands that the Russian Federation immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” It also expresses “grave concern at reports of attacks on civilian facilities such as residences, schools, and hospitals, and of civilian casualties, including women, older persons, persons with disabilities, and children.”

Last week, Russia vetoed a similar resolution at the 15-member Security Council. It was mostly isolated: No other nation opposed it, and China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained. Eleven nations, including the United States, supported it.

“No state should be able to get away with what Russia got away with without facing diplomatic isolation,” Samuel Charap, a political scientist at the Rand Corp. said. “The question is, does it alter the course of the war, really? And there, it doesn’t seem likely.”

The United Arab Emirates assumed the rotating chair of the Security Council on Tuesday, and Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s permanent representative to the U.N., became president of the Security Council on Monday. She said Monday that the UAE’s abstention from the Security Council’s resolution would not affect how it chairs the panel.

“We must leave space for a diplomatic off-ramp,” she said. “Those countries that did abstain have those channels with President Putin and will use them to help.”

She did not say whether the UAE would abstain from Wednesday’s General Assembly vote. The United Arab Emirates did not co-sponsor the resolution.

Leaders say the war in Ukraine is creating a humanitarian crisis
Separately, the United Nations said on Tuesday it estimates the initial humanitarian and refugee needs will cost $1.7 billion. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said humanitarian agencies need $1.1 billion to fund emergency relief within Ukraine for the next three months. He also requested another $551 million to help pay for services for Ukrainians fleeing the country, especially in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.

The money, he said, would help people access health supplies, safe drinking water, shelter and protection.

“The most effective humanitarian relief is to silence the guns,” he said.

An estimated 650,000 people have fled Ukraine and entered European Union countries since Russia invaded last week. The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to allow them to stay for up to two years under a “temporary protection directive.” If approved by EU member states, Ukrainians would be allowed to work and children would be allowed to attend school within the entire EU.

“All those fleeing Putin’s bombs are welcome in Europe,” said EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/02/1083872077/u-n-set-to-hold-vote-that-would-demand-russia-end-war-in-ukraine

The post The U.N. approves a resolution demanding that Russia end the invasion of Ukraine first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The EU has often blamed Russia for its recent problems as tensions grew scathingly over Russia–Ukraine issue and the migrant crisis on the Belarus–Poland border. The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had warned Russia against any form of military adventurism in Ukraine or Poland; however, Kremlin officials were quick to retaliate by asking Europe not to blame Russia for all its problems. The increased tensions between Russia and the West could lead to regional instability as Putin claimed the US-led exercises in the Black Sea to be provocative which since then has heightened the tensions between Moscow and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting held on 30 November in Riga, the ministers focused on three major issues—Russia’s military deployment around Ukraine, actions taken by the Belarus government against the migrant crisis at the Polish border, and NATO’s role in arms control. NATO forces voiced a united opinion against the Russians and urged Kremlin to be more transparent, de-escalate, and reduce tensions, however, failing to abide would lead to Russia facing economic and political crisis. The US and Britain have warned Russia against any new military aggression against Ukraine as the transatlantic allies look to strengthen NATOs defense, resilience, and capacity. This narrative once again instils faith in the flickering status on the role of NATO in European affairs after Kabul’s fall, the question of European strategic autonomy became prominent. The EU is finding ways to achieve its strategic autonomy to move on from Washington’s purview by investing in the idea of the creation of a true European army, but the recent crisis has showcased the importance and relevance of NATO on the European shores. Ukraine is not a NATO member, therefore Article 5 of the NATO treaty which highlights “Collective Defense” does not apply to Ukraine, but NATO member states consider Ukraine as a highly valued partner. NATO members have provided political and practical support to Ukraine as the former German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had reiterated on sending an unmistakable message to the Russian government and promised NATO’s support for Ukraine.

Similarly, in the Group of Seven (G7) meeting held on 11 December, in Liverpool, leaders warned Russia of “massive consequences” if Moscow furthers its military aggression against Ukraine. Moscow, however, has demanded a legally binding agreement that would assure NATO will not expand eastwards or place its arsenal near to the Russian territory. The G7 leaders also reflected on the status of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as the new German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock suggested that the gas pipeline would not be active in the events of further escalation by Russia. The EU has already imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor, who have carried out clandestine operations by financing the mercenaries in Ukraine, Libya, and Syria.

The EU’s position is comprised as it braces itself for a cold winter marred by rising energy prices and demand, a fourth COVID wave, anti-lockdown protests across Europe, the threat of a new migrant crisis at the Belarus–Poland border. Under this weakened position, Kremlin has caught the EU off-guard, with Putin’s instrumentalising Europe’s energy crisis and Lukashenko’s suppression of pro-democracy protests has further exacerbated the EU’s woes. President Lukashenko has threatened the EU by deliberating on shutting down a key pipeline (Yamal–Europe Pipeline) carrying Russian gas to the EU. Both Kremlin and Gazprom have refused to comment on Lukashenko’s ultimatum and Putin has restated his stance asking the EU to negotiate with Minsk directly and avoid using Russia as an intermediatory between Brussels and Minsk. Out of the total gas flows from Russia to the EU, around 20 percent flowed through Belarus via the Yamal–Europe pipeline, and any unilateral action by Lukashenko would worsen the energy crisis across Europe, especially at the onset of the winter season and the fourth COVID wave.

The US has also accused Russia of orchestrating the migrant crisis between Belarus and Poland and Belarus and the Baltic States, but Russia has denied such claims and further cautioned the NATO forces of the perils of crossing the ‘red line’. Since the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine has declared its ambitions to align with the West by joining the EU and NATO which infuriates Russia citing the geographical proximity of NATO in the Russian footsteps. Ukraine’s geographical proximity with both the EU and Russia enables it to extend its cooperation across both sides, especially owing to deep historical and cultural ties with Russia. However, after Crimea’s annexation in 2014, Ukraine sought greater links with the EU and the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2017, has further established a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the two. This is a major milestone towards EU integration, however, Ukraine has not been declared as a candidature country for EU membership and with multiple regional instability brewing in Ukraine, the prospects of Kyiv joining the bloc remains minuscule. Nonetheless, in case of any conflict, Kyiv hopes that the EU aided by NATO would be ready to stand alongside Ukraine to protect the European territory against the Russian forces.

The new German government has taken office, and at the G7 meeting, Ms. Baerbock quoted Liverpool’s anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” which also happens to be the motto of Germany G7 presidency in 2022. Whether Ukraine will receive adequate support from the European Commission or not, only time will tell. The Eastern Partnership summit that took place on December 15 in Brussels provided an opportunity for the EU to solidify its commitment to Ukraine. The summit provided an opportunity to further European initiative in the region, especially after Europe chose to remain silent over the Nagorno–Karabakh (Azerbaijan and Armenia are both members of the Eastern Partnership) conflict last year. Furthermore, the EU could aim at exploring its nascent Global Gateway infrastructure fund to develop transport and energy corridors in Ukraine. Amidst the debates on European strategic autonomy and European sovereignty, it remains to be seen if the EU can put aside all the major differences within the bloc and take collective action to facilitate a sustainable action plan to help Ukraine.

The views expressed above belong to the author(s).

Source: https://www.eurasiareview.com/20122021-the-russia-ukraine-border-crisis-europes-moment-of-reckoning/

The post The Russia-Ukraine Border Crisis: Europe’s Moment Of Reckoning first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) after completing his official visit to Poland, Şentop said that there are two dimensions to the ongoing migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border.

Underlining that the issue of migration is an important global problem, he said: “Turkey has already been hosting around 5 million immigrants for 10 years. Turkey is the country that has the biggest problem with irregular migration in the world. But we think that this is a global problem that concerns not only certain countries, not only neighboring countries on the migration route, but also the whole world.”

Saying that everyone should assume their responsibilities regarding this issue, Şentop added: “We have expressed all these at international meetings. It would be beneficial to come together to produce some solutions regarding this. For years, the problem in Turkey will come to the agenda of other countries in some way today or tomorrow.”

For weeks, thousands of people seeking a new life in the European Union have been stranded at the bloc’s external border with Belarus. The EU accuses Minsk of pushing or transporting migrants from countries like Iraq to its frontiers in revenge for Western sanctions. Minsk refutes this.

Poland, where most migrants have arrived, has already halted asylum claims at legal entry points and has been accused of pushing people back into Belarus against international law.

He also pointed to the humanitarian dimension of the issue saying: “It is necessary to adopt an approach that will preserve the minimum human rights of people who have been forced to migrate because they are unable to live in their own lands in one way or another. In winter conditions, women and children should be treated humanely.

“It is also wrong for countries to keep the problems among themselves on the agenda by using immigrants as a tool, and to try to solve them somehow. That’s why we supported Poland. As soon as we learned that some airports from Turkey regarding the transfer of these immigrants were used within this plan, necessary precautions were taken. As Turkey, we refused to be an instrument of such a plan. We have taken every necessary precaution step by step.”

Ankara last month banned citizens of three Middle Eastern countries from flying from Turkish airports to the former Soviet republic because of “the problem of illegal border crossings between the European Union and Belarus.”

The decision came days after European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen raised the possibility of imposing sanctions on airlines that engage in “human trafficking.” Turkish Airlines (THY) provides one of the most heavily used international links to the Belarusian capital Minsk. Turkey’s announcement was met with relief by European officials at a time of lingering strains in Ankara’s relations with Brussels.

Turkey is home to up to 5 million refugees and migrants – most of them from war-scarred Syria – and remains one of the preferred routes for migrants and refugees to enter Europe. The number of migrants passing through Turkey has ticked back up after falling off sharply in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Calling international actors, specifically European countries, to band together and determine a road map on the issue of migration and not to let the responsibility fall on the shoulders of certain countries, Şentop said: “The whole world is responsible for this, and some countries are even more responsible; because it is the policies of some big countries that make those countries uninhabitable. Therefore, they have to take responsibility for the problem they cause. Otherwise, we may encounter more serious problems that will put the whole world in trouble in the coming years.”

Source: https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/eu-affairs/european-actors-must-take-responsibility-in-migrant-crisis-sentop

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