It’s slightly past 11pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
Germany has delivered four more Gepard anti-aircraft guns and 65 refrigerators to Ukraine, the German government announced on Wednesday. The 4 additional Gepard units now brings the total number of Gepard units provided by Germany to Ukraine to 24.
Kremlin sources “are now working to clear [Russian President Vladimir] Putin of any responsibly of the defeat, instead blaming the loss of almost all of occupied Kharkiv Oblast on underinformed military advisors,” according to The Institute of the Study of War. In a statement reported by CNBC, the institute said that “Kremlin officials and state media propagandists are extensively discussing the reasons for the Russian defeat in Kharkiv Oblast, a marked change from their previous pattern of reporting on exaggerated or fabricated Russian successes with limited detail.”
The prospects for peace in Ukraine are currently “minimal,” the UN secretary-general said on Wednesday after a telephone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin. “I have the feeling we are still far away from peace. I would be lying if I would say it could happen soon,” Guterres said, adding, “I have no illusion; at the present moment the chances of a peace deal are minimal,” he added, noting that even a ceasefire is “not in sight.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin still believes he was right to launch an invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday after a 90-minute-long telephone call with the Russian president. “Sadly, I cannot tell you that the impression has grown that it was a mistake to begin this war,” Scholz said in a press briefing.
Germany has delivered four more Gepard anti-aircraft guns and 65 refrigerators to Ukraine, the German government announced on Wednesday.
The Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled gun can fire 35 mm shells at a rate of up to 1,000 rounds per minute.
The 4 additional Gepard units now brings the total number of Gepard units provided by Germany to Ukraine to 24.
“Under the 2022 budget process, the funds for the security capacity building initiative were increased to a total of 2 billion euros for the year 2022. The additional funds are to be used primarily to support Ukraine,” the German government said in a statement.
“At the same time, they will be used to finance Germany’s increased mandatory contributions to the European Peace Facility (EPF), which in turn goes towards reimbursing EU member states for costs incurred to them in providing support for Ukraine,” it added.
