G7 want to support Ukraine in reconstruction Nato wants to drastically increase the number of rapid reaction forces Odessa reports rocket attacks The news about Russia’s war in Ukraine in the stern ticker.

Day 123 of the Ukraine war: As a new EU accession candidate, Ukraine can hope for a future in a common Europe. At the same time, however, the military situation in the eastern Luhansk region is becoming increasingly precarious for the Ukrainian army. Russian troops are fighting and trying to encircle the strategically important city of Lyssychansk.

Meanwhile, the G7 countries have pledged indefinite support to Ukraine. The group will support the Ukrainian government in the conflict “as long as it is necessary,” said the G7 leaders in a statement.

The most important developments in the star ticker.

1:52 p.m.: Johnson compares support for Ukraine to fight against Hitler

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has likened supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia to fighting Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. The price for freedom is worth paying, Johnson told the BBC on the sidelines of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau.

It took democracies a long time to find an answer to tyranny and aggression in the mid-20th century, and it was very expensive. “But with the defeat of the dictators, most notably Nazi Germany, it brought many decades of stability, a world order based on a rules-based international system,” Johnson said. “It’s worth protecting, it’s worth defending, it brings long-term prosperity.”

1:48 p.m .: G7 want to support Ukraine in reconstruction

The leading democratic economic powers have pledged their support for Ukraine’s reconstruction after the Russian war of aggression. In a statement distributed at the summit in Elmau, Bavaria, the G7 states said they were “ready to support an international reconstruction plan” that was being drawn up by Ukraine in close coordination with bilateral and multilateral partners. “We are firmly committed to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and will step up our respective efforts.”

The goals are a sustainable and green economic upswing, strong democratic institutions, the rule of law and the fight against corruption.

1:15 p.m .: NATO wants to drastically increase the number of rapid response forces

NATO wants to increase the number of its rapid reaction forces to more than 300,000. This was announced by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg before the summit meeting of the 30 member states in Madrid. So far, the NATO intervention force NRF has comprised around 40,000 soldiers. The planned restructuring of the NRF is part of a new force model for the entire alliance area. This provides for more forces on high alert. In addition, forces should also be assigned to certain areas. This means that German soldiers could be scheduled to support Lithuanian troops in the event of a Russian attack. In peacetime, the troops should generally be under national command, but could then be requested by the supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe (Saceur) in an emergency.

12.46 p.m .: G7 countries want to support Ukraine “as long as necessary”.

The G7 pledge their help to Ukraine “for as long as necessary” in view of the Russian war of aggression. “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary,” said a statement by the G7 summit on Ukraine.

Among other things, the heads of state and government hold out the prospect of tightening sanctions against Russia. The focus should be on the armaments industry and the technology sector. “We are determined to reduce Russia’s revenue, including from gold,” the paper said. Further details are not given.

12:37 p.m .: Separatists: 500 civilians still on the site of the Azot chemical plant

According to pro-Russian separatists, around 500 civilians are still on the site of the Azot chemical plant in Sievjerodonetsk in eastern Ukraine. They cannot yet leave the plant because some of the crossings there are mined, said the representative of the Luhansk separatists in Moscow, Rodion Miroshnik, on Russian state television. This information could not be independently verified.

Specialists defused these mines “so that these people can decide for themselves whether they want to stay in the area of ​​​​Syeverodonetsk or leave it,” said Miroshnik. Russia had reported taking the city on Saturday.

12:32 p.m .: The USA want to send Ukraine more modern air defense systems

The United States wants to provide Ukraine with more modern air defense systems so that the country can better defend itself against Russian attacks. US President Joe Biden has “made the procurement of modern air defense systems for Ukraine a priority,” according to sources familiar with the process at the G7 summit. An announcement about the purchase of “modern surface-to-air missile defense systems” of medium to long range is likely “this week” along with other weapons commitments.

12.30 p.m .: Scholz: Will continue to increase pressure on Putin

The leading democratic economic powers want to further increase the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin because of the war in Ukraine. “As the G7, we stand united on Ukraine’s side and will continue to support them,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Twitter during the G7 summit. “To do this, we have to make tough but necessary decisions,” emphasized the SPD politician. He promised: “We will continue to increase the pressure on Putin. This war must end.”

12:26 p.m .: Russia does not see itself as insolvent

The Kremlin has denied reports that Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt. “We don’t agree with that,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax agency. A 30-day period during which interest was due on two government bonds in foreign currency expired during the night. It is about a payment of 100 million US dollars (94.7 million euros).

Russia stresses that it is economically able and willing to service the debt. However, Western sanctions are preventing the payment, since Moscow can neither access its foreign assets frozen in the West nor transfer domestic reserves to foreign financial institutions.

11.45 a.m .: Selenskyj is demanding massive help from the G7 for the end of the war this year

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the G7 countries to “do everything” to end the war with Russia later this year. During the talks with the G7 heads of state and government, Zelenskyy pointed out that the war would last a long time if it dragged on into the winter, G7 circles said at the summit at Schloss Elmau. In addition, Selenskyj called for tightening of sanctions against Russia.

11:21 a.m .: EU energy ministers agree to fill up the gas storage tanks by 80 percent

The energy ministers of the EU countries have agreed on a target for filling the gas storage facilities in the EU to 80 percent by next winter. This is to ensure “that the gas storage capacities in the EU are filled up before the winter despite the disruptions on the gas market,” said the member states in Luxembourg.

According to the specification, the national gas storage facilities in the EU countries should be at least 80 percent full by November 1 as a precaution, and 90 percent in the following winters. The EU wants this year to “jointly reach 85 percent of the total underground gas storage capacity” in the European Union, the member states said.

10.46 a.m .: Habeck warns of forced gas throttling in winter

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) has warned against forced gas cutbacks in the event of a shortage in the coming winter. Over the winter, there is a “medium-term” scenario “that reductions will actually have to be enacted by law,” said Habeck before a meeting with the energy ministers of the EU countries in Luxembourg. In his estimation, such a reduction would lead to “a severe economic crisis” in Europe and Germany.

10.23 a.m .: Selenskyj switched on at the G7 summit

Day two of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj joined the first working session of the heads of state and government in the morning. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine will be one of the dominant topics on the second day of the summit.

10:04 a.m.: US government: G7 impose further punitive measures against Moscow

According to the US government, the USA and the other G7 countries want to impose further punitive measures against Moscow because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The measures were aimed, among other things, against military production and supply chains, said the White House on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Bavaria.

9.31 a.m .: London: Russia is increasingly relying on reservists in Ukraine

According to Great Britain, the Russian army will primarily rely on reservists in its war against Ukraine. The combat reserve consists of part-time volunteers who are actually intended for security tasks in the rear of the front, said the Ministry of Defense in London, citing intelligence information. Battalions would probably be filled with veterans who have served in the past five years. “Despite a continuing shortage of operational reservists for Ukraine, the Russian leadership is likely to remain reluctant to order a general mobilization,” it said.

8.52 a.m .: Russia on the verge of default

Russia is apparently facing its first default on foreign debt in more than 100 years. A 30-day period expired during the night to pay interest on two government bonds in foreign currency. It’s about a total of around 100 million US dollars. If investors didn’t get the money, which is likely given the West’s harsh financial sanctions, it would be the first default on foreign debt since 1918. The more recent default, in 1998, was on domestic-held debt.

8.21 a.m .: Scholz does not want to “torpedo” the G20 despite Russia’s war of aggression

Despite the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out in favor of maintaining the G20, of which Russian President Vladimir Putin is also a member. “One thing is clear: the G20 must continue to play a role,” said the SPD politician on ZDF’s “Morgenmagazin”, to which he was connected from the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau. There is “a common belief that we don’t want to torpedo the G20,” he added.

7.46 a.m .: Ukrainian military prevented boiler around Lysychansk

According to the Ukrainian military, they repulsed Russian attacks west of Lysychansk and thus prevented the strategically important city in eastern Ukraine from being surrounded. “Near Verkhnyokamyanka, the defense forces inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and forced them to retreat,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in its situation report. Verkhnyokamyanka is only a few kilometers west of Lysychansk on the last important supply road for the city.

6.16 a.m .: Zelenskyj: More speed with arms deliveries

Before his planned video switch at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj once again called for faster arms deliveries to his country. “We need powerful air defense – modern, fully effective,” he said in his daily video speech at night.

Any delay in arms deliveries to Ukraine is an invitation to Russia to strike further, Zelensky said. The G7 countries, which include Germany, the US, Canada, the UK, France, Italy and Japan, collectively held so much potential “to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine and Europe,” Zelenskyy said. “There are already some agreements. The partners have to move faster.”

5.11 a.m .: Ukrainian Black Sea region of Odessa reports rocket attacks

Six people were injured in a rocket hit in the Odessa region in southern Ukraine. The missile was fired by a Russian Tu-22 strategic bomber, the Ukrainian Defense Command South said. According to the authorities, a child is among the victims. It is not clear from the information whether the people involved were injured or killed.

3.34 a.m .: Survey: Almost one in four people is worried about their job because of the effects of war

According to a survey, almost one in four employees is worried about their job because of the Ukraine war. In the survey conducted by the market research institute Trendence, 23.3 percent of the employees surveyed stated that they were worried about losing their job as a result of the war, as the newspapers of the Funke media group reported.

At 49.2 percent, almost every second employee stated that they were mentally stressed by the pictures from the war zones. According to this, every second interviewee calls on their employer to get involved with Ukrainian war refugees.

1:44 am: Amnesty criticizes Lithuania for dealing with refugees

Amnesty International accuses Lithuania of violating human rights on a large scale with refugees of different nationalities from neighboring Belarus. While war refugees from Ukraine are welcomed with open arms in Lithuania, those seeking protection from countries such as Iraq or Syria are illegally imprisoned, severely abused and deported. This is the result of questioning migrants in two Lithuanian detention centers, according to a recent report by the human rights organization. At the same time, Amnesty accused the EU of passively tolerating the actions in the Baltic member state.

12:03 a.m .: Zelenskyj’s appeal to Belarus: Don’t get drawn into the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the people of neighboring Belarus not to get involved in the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “The Kremlin has already decided everything for you,” he said in his evening video address, looking towards Moscow. “But you are not slaves and cannon fodder. You must not die.” People should not let others decide for Belarus.

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko met with Russian President Vladimir Putin again on Saturday. The Kremlin chief announced the delivery of Iskander-M missile systems to Belarus, which can also be equipped with nuclear warheads. According to the latest information from Kyiv, Russian troops recently also attacked Ukraine from Belarus. The country is a close ally of Russia.