The essentials in brief:
- Kuleba complains about the West’s lack of will
- Scholz addresses “Ukrainian brothers and sisters”
- Most Ukrainians believe in victory over Russia
Ukraine has complained about the hesitancy of its Western allies in taking legal action against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and in dealing with frozen Russian assets. Negotiations on both issues are “in a kind of impasse,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
There are “differences of opinion” with the allies on the issue of establishing a new court to try Putin for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. On the issue of transferring Russian assets to Ukraine, there is a “lack of will” on the part of the partners, Kuleba said at an international conference in Kiev.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Putin last March. The arrest warrant relates to the kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war.
However, Ukraine is also calling for the establishment of a new international court to prosecute Putin and other members of the Russian leadership. This court is intended to be modeled on the Nuremberg Criminal Court, where trials of Nazi war criminals took place after the Second World War.
Scholz speaks of “Ukrainian brothers and sisters”
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) sent a particularly warm greeting to the team from Ukraine in a video message at the opening of the Invictus Games for war-disabled soldiers. The message coming from the games and the participants is never to give up.
“Like our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who defend their homeland and their freedom and their right to live in peace in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression,” the Chancellor emphasized. “Slava Ukraine, Glory to Ukraine,” said Scholz. The video message in English was pre-recorded with a view to the G20 meeting – even before his accident while jogging.
More than 500 participants from 21 countries take part in the week-long international sports festival in Dusseldorf for disabled soldiers. It will be held in Germany for the first time.
Umerov wants heavy weapons “today and now”
New Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has called on Kiev’s Western backers to quickly supply his country with more heavy weapons. “We are grateful for the support provided,” Umerov said at a conference in Kiev. “We need more heavy weapons,” he added. “We need them today. We need them now.”
At the same conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously warned of the consequences of “slower” arms deliveries from the West for his country’s counteroffensive. At the beginning of June, Ukraine launched a large-scale counteroffensive to retake the territories occupied by Russia. As the Ukrainian forces advanced against the Russian units, they encountered large areas where tank traps and mines had been planted.
Umerov said: “Ukrainian warriors are sacrificing their lives today for the basic values of democracy and freedom. They need support from you, dear partners. And this support is weapons.” The 41-year-old Crimean Tatar took over from Oleksiy Resnikov. He was released last week amid military corruption scandals.
Weather is not a criterion
Ukraine wants to continue its counteroffensive against Russian forces even in bad weather. “The fighting will continue in one way or another. It is more difficult to fight in the cold, wet and mud. But the fighting will continue. The counteroffensive will continue,” said Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. The counteroffensive is taking place in several directions. Progress is slower than he would have liked and the situation is difficult.
However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recently described the Ukrainian counter-offensive as completely unsuccessful.
Faith in victory is great
According to a survey, 90 percent of Ukrainians believe that their army can retake the entire territory of Ukraine. Only six percent don’t believe that. This was determined by a survey institute in Ukraine (Democratic Initiatives Foundation) on behalf of “Bild am Sonntag”. All respondents live in the territories controlled by Ukraine.
Accordingly, 83 percent of those surveyed want another counteroffensive next year if Ukraine does not achieve enough success this year. When asked if they supported direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war, 30 percent said yes. 63 percent rejected this.
And: Nine years after Russia annexed Crimea, 40 percent of Ukrainians would not consider it a defeat if the peninsula remained in Russian hands after the war. 50 percent, however, see it differently
haz/wa (dpa, rtr, afp, ap)
This article will be continually updated on the day it is published. Reports from combat zones cannot be independently verified.
Source: DW
