4:15 PM, Yesterday
‘Turkey will support Rutte’s NATO candidacy’
Turkey is likely to support the candidacy of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become NATO’s new Secretary General. Bloomberg news agency reports this based on Turkish insiders. Rutte will visit Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, who is expected to announce his decision within a few weeks.
Rutte’s appointment as NATO chief has been in the air for some time: he is currently assured of the support of 28 of the 32 NATO member states, including heavyweights such as the United States, France and Germany. Officially, Rutte has another opponent, in the person of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. According to Bloomberg, NATO sources expect Iohannis to withdraw from the race once Erdogan has expressed his support for Rutte.
In addition to Turkey and Romania, Hungary and Slovakia have not yet supported Rutte’s candidacy. Of those countries in particular Hungary a major obstacle. President Orbán resents Rutte for speaking out harshly in the past about LGBTI legislation in Hungary. Unanimity among the member states is required for an appointment.
Thom Canters
2:44 PM, Yesterday
Polish government wants to help Kyiv return Ukrainian conscripts
The Polish government wants to support Kyiv in repatriating conscripted men. This was made clear through Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Polish Minister of Defense. This could even mean that Poland, which hosts the most Ukrainian refugees after Germany, sends conscripts back to Ukraine.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that the Ukrainian authorities are doing everything they can to send soldiers to the front,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said last night. “We have long been providing Ukraine with our assistance to ensure that people who have to serve their national service go to Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian government announced last night that it will no longer issue passports to men between the ages of 18 and 60 through its embassies. They can then only obtain a new passport in the country itself. In this way, Ukraine hopes to provide a remedy for the manpower shortage that has been plaguing the army for some time.
It is estimated that tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have fled the country to avoid being sent to the front. Some Ukrainian politicians call it unfair that some of the men are living abroad while their compatriots are dying at the front with Russia.
Sebas van Aert
Read more about the close relationship between Poland and Ukraine here: ‘Poland and Ukraine have also become closer in emotional dossiers in recent times’
12:26, Yesterday
Russian spokesman calls Switzerland peace talks pointless
Talks about a possible end to the war in Ukraine are pointless, according to Maria Zacharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry. She said this today during a press conference, referring to the peace conference to be held in Switzerland on June 15 and 16.
Russia has stated that it does not want to participate in the negotiations because the government believes that Switzerland is not neutral in the war. Despite its historic impartiality, two years ago the country imposed the most sanctions on Russian individuals of any country. This is due to the high number of oligarchs who deposit money in Swiss banks. Although it is still unknown which countries will participate in the conference, it is expected that American President Joe Biden will be present
Zacharova added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s demands do not bring peace closer, but instead prolong the conflict. Ukraine wants a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all conquered Ukrainian territory – including Crimea.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko also joined the discussion today by saying that the time is ripe for peace negotiations, according to the Russian news agency Tass. According to ‘Europe’s last dictator’, there is a stalemate at the front and the conversations that Russian and Ukrainian officials had at the beginning of the war in Turkey can serve as a starting point.
Sebas van Aert
10:14, Yesterday
Russian missile damages Ukrainian railway infrastructure in Cherkasy, injuring six
A Russian missile last night damaged railway infrastructure in the Ukrainian region of Cherkasy. The governor of the area, Ihor Taboerets, said this via Telegram. The blast left six people injured and 47 houses damaged during the attack.
The attack took place in the town of Smila, he said Illya Yevlash, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, during a television broadcast. According to him, it may have been an Islander-K missile.
A week ago, the Russian army also targeted Ukrainian railways in the Dnipro region. The Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsja reported this via Telegram. As a result, several routes were shut down and seven railway employees were injured.
Sebas van Aert
Read more about Ukrainian air defense here: Ukraine longs for more Patriots to successfully repel Russian attack waves
02:23, Yesterday
Ukraine no longer issues passports to conscripted men abroad
Ukraine will no longer issue new passports abroad to men between the ages of 18 and 60 who could serve military service. They can only get a new passport in Ukraine.
The transfer of passports to “a Ukrainian subdivision or diplomatic mission abroad for the purpose of issuing them will not be carried out,” a Ukrainian government statement said. The new rule does not apply to people who are already allowed to cross the border under certain exceptions, such as people with disabilities. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the consular service procedure “remains unchanged.”
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian government decided that consulates will no longer provide services to men who can perform military service. Only the issuance of ‘identity cards to return to Ukraine’ is maintained for that group of men.
Ukraine currently bans men between the ages of 18 and 60 from traveling abroad, with some exceptions. According to media estimates, tens of thousands of men have fled the country to avoid being sent to the front.
11:28 PM, the day before yesterday
Welcome to the live blog of Thursday April 25
This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, April 24:
• The Ukrainian army has been using new long-range missiles that the United States secretly sent to Ukraine last week. The Ukrainian army is said to have used the weapons immediately afterwards to attack an airfield in occupied Crimea and against Russian troops in the southeast of the country.
• US President Joe Biden has signed the hard-fought bill for aid to Ukraine. The first shipments of US military equipment will come as early as the next few hours, Biden said. Ukraine can count on a support package worth $61 billion.
• Russia reports that Ukraine attacked several energy facilities with drones during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. According to the governor of the border province of Smolensk, Vasily Anochin, the attacks caused fires at energy facilities in the provincial capital of the same name and in the city of Yartsevo. There were reportedly no injuries.
Read the full live blog from Wednesday April 24 here.
11:28 PM, the day before yesterday
Welcome to the live blog of Thursday April 25
This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, April 24:
• The Ukrainian army has been using new long-range missiles that the United States secretly sent to Ukraine last week. The Ukrainian army is said to have used the weapons immediately afterwards to attack an airfield in occupied Crimea and against Russian troops in the southeast of the country.
• US President Joe Biden has signed the hard-fought bill for aid to Ukraine. The first shipments of US military equipment will take place as early as the next few hours, Biden said. Ukraine can count on a support package worth $61 billion.
• Russia reports that Ukraine attacked several energy facilities with drones during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. According to the governor of the border province of Smolensk, Vasily Anochin, the attacks caused fires at energy facilities in the provincial capital of the same name and in the city of Yartsevo. There were reportedly no injuries.
Read the full live blog from Wednesday April 24 here.
