Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
The German chancellor has visited Lithuania to mark Berlin’s first permanent foreign troop deployment since the second world war, as he called on allies to dramatically expand their efforts to bolster European defences against a hostile Russia (11:31, 11:41, 11:53)
The new heavy combat unit, the 45th tank brigade, will be comprised of 4,800 German soldiers and 200 civilian staff. It was announced in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and is scheduled to reach full operational capacity by 2027 (16:29).
“We must do everything to defend ourselves – so that we never have to,” Merz said at a ceremony marking the establishment of a German brigade to be deployed there, adding members knew the seriousness of the situation and their responsibilities (14:39).
New peace talks with Ukraine had “yet to be agreed”, the Kremlin said, disputing reports the two nations would soon hold negotiations at the Vatican (16:42).
Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki said that any discussion on Ukraine’s fast-tracked and “unconditional” accession to Nato was “pointless” and would put the alliance in direct conflict with Russia, as he agreed to a 90-minute YouTube interview with the libertarian far-right candidate Sławomir Mentzen who came third in the first round of the vote last weekend (12:45, 13:07, 13:27, 13:36, 14:09).
Serbia needs to implement “real reforms”, including on tackling corruption, to ensure its bid for EU membership moves forward, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said (16:02).
President Emmanuel Macron said he told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that companies from both countries “must enjoy fair competition” (14:34).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
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What would Russia’s peace deal demands really mean for Ukraine? – visualised
So let’s bring you a few visuals showing Russia’s peace deal demands to give you an idea of what would it mean for the Ukrainian people.
Seán Clarke and Antonio Voce
One of the few explicit peace proposals is a US outline reportedly seen by Reuters last month. It asks Ukraine to accept de jure recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and de facto recognition of its occupation of large parts of several oblasts in the country’s east. On Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia is demanding Ukrainian troops abandon five oblasts as a precondition not for peace, but for a ceasefire and the opening of negotiations.
It is not clear how many people remain in the areas now occupied by the Russians. In some cases, whole towns have been reduced to rubble in the course of the war, and many Ukrainians fled to safety either in Ukrainian-held territory or in other countries.
Updated
