Russian shelling hit Kharkiv Tuesday night, hours after the surprise visit to the northeastern city Ukraine the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, with her Ukrainian counterpart, who asked Germany to provide heavy armaments. “The longer such a decision is delayed, the more victims there will be, the more civilians will die,” said Ukrainian Minister Dmytro Kouleba.
An AFP journalist later heard several explosions in the city, which had been relatively unscathed by Russian strikes lately. “Stay in the emergency shelters. The occupiers are bombing again!” warned regional governor Oleg Synegoubov via telegram. It was impossible to determine immediately whether these strikes had caused damage and casualties.
The most important information:
- Shelling took place in Kharkiv on Tuesday evening
- Ukraine calls on Germany and the West to supply weapons
- Canada gives Ukraine a US anti-aircraft defense system
Annalena Baerbock had come to this war-torn city near the Russian border the previous Tuesday. At the invitation of her counterpart Dmytro Kouleba, she assured that Ukraine could count on “solidarity” and “support” from Germany.
The minister said she had provided “a new aid package”, including €20 million for demining and the same amount for the development of the Starlink internet access network. She also announced new deliveries of generators for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which is being systematically bombed by Russia. But Ukraine’s main demand is for the delivery of Western main battle tanks, and Berlin has still not responded positively to its request to deliver “Leopard 2” armored vehicles, heavy equipment of recognized technology.
Ukraine asks Germany to deliver weapons
Kharkiv was the target of several bombardments early in the conflict, but Ukrainian forces managed to defend it. The battle front has since moved away and is currently about 130 km from the city. “Kharkiv is now a symbol of successful Ukrainian counter-offensives, proving that Ukraine can win with sufficient help from its partners,” stressed Dmytro Kouleba.
Ms. Baerbock assured that the country could count on the supply of arms it needs “to liberate its fellow citizens who are still suffering the terror of the Russian occupation”. After months of hesitation, Germany recently announced that it would deploy 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles by spring. But within Olaf Scholz’s coalition, the Greens, Ms. Baerbock’s party and the Liberals are demanding the delivery of Leopard-type heavy battle tanks.
“I have no doubt that Ukraine will receive German ‘Leopard’ tanks because the German government knows deep down that this is necessary,” said Dmytro Kouleba.
A close friend of Putin’s was stripped of his citizenship
The head of German diplomacy also indicated that she wanted to talk about the planned EU accession process. Ukraine was granted EU candidate status along with Moldova in June. However, several representatives of the member states had already warned against “undermining any illusions” about a quick accession. “It’s important to me that we don’t lose sight of Ukraine’s place in our European family, even in this winter of war,” said Ms. Baerbock.
This is the third time Annalena Baerbock has visited Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, after trips to Kyiv and Boutcha, a city near the Ukrainian capital where Russian troops are accused of war crimes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in the evening that he had stripped Ukrainian citizenship of wealthy businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, a close friend of Vladimir Putin who Kyiv has accused of high treason in favor of Russia.
This 68-year-old former MP, who was born in Siberia and is believed to be the Russian president’s man in Ukraine, had been extradited to Russia in a prisoner swap between Kyiv and Moscow in late September 2022 after serving more than five months in Ukraine. .
“If the people’s deputies decide not to serve the Ukrainian people, but the murderers who came to Ukraine, then our measures will be appropriate,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended himself in his daily speech on Tuesday evening. However, in his message he did not mention the alleged Russian citizenship of the targets.
Canada gives Ukraine a US anti-aircraft defense system
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday announced the purchase of an anti-aircraft defense system from the United States to donate to Ukraine. This is the first NASAMS air defense system that Canada is offering to Ukraine, Ottawa said, valuing the gift at CA$406 million. The announcement came after a bilateral meeting between Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden in Mexico City.
This defense system is designed to counteract the massive Russian bombing raids on Ukrainian critical infrastructure. “That is the top priority. For this reason, Canada is buying an advanced surface-to-air missile system from the United States to donate to Ukraine,” said Anita Anand, Canada’s defense minister, after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi welcomed the gesture with big strides. “Thank you for helping us protect our skies. The NASAMS that Canada has procured for us will be a powerful shield for our cities and our citizens,” he said on Twitter.
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