POLITICSUKRAINE
Ukraine updates: German politicians press Scholz on Taurus
Published 23 hours agoPublished 23 hours agolast updated 7 hours agolast updated 7 hours ago
Politicians from Germany’s ruling coalition are urging the chancellor to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv. Meanwhile, the French president is in Sweden for talks on European defense. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/4boaC
A Taurus long-range air-to-surface missile on September 25, 2017.
Politicians from Germany’s government coalition are pressing Chancellor Scholz to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to UkraineImage: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Politicians from Germany’s ruling coalition have increased pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, with Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt of the Greens saying the weapons should be delivered “quickly.”
Meanwhile, China’s vice foreign minister has met with the Ukrainian ambassador to China to exchange views on the conflict.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Tuesday, January 30:
Skip next section German air force scrambled to escort Russian military plane over Baltic Sea
7 hours ago7 hours ago
German air force scrambled to escort Russian military plane over Baltic Sea
Germany’s Air Force, the Luftwaffe, scrambled fighter planes to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying close to Germany’s Baltic island of Rügen.
The Russian IL-20M military aircraft was flying without a transponder signal, the Luftwaffe said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Its jets set off from Laage Air Base in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and accompanied it for a short time
before it turned back east, the post said.
The emergency patrol usually consists of two Eurofighters.
NATO scrambled fighter planes more than 300 times last year to intercept Russian military aircraft flying near member countries’ airspace.
It was significantly fewer intercepts than the 570 recorded in 2022, after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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Skip next section Macron urges EU to ‘accelerate aid to Ukraine’ in Sweden visit
9 hours ago9 hours ago
Macron urges EU to ‘accelerate aid to Ukraine’ in Sweden visit
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Sweden on Tuesday, said EU leaders need to “make bold decisions” as well as increasing and “accelerating” the scale of support for Kyiv.
Macron said the “costs of a Russian victory [in Ukraine] are too high for all of us.”
The French leader urged “long-term” EU backing for Ukraine as well as warning of the need to be prepared to step in should the US forfeit its role as Ukraine’s leading supporter and cut funding to the war-torn country.
US Republicans block funding for Ukraine
01:44
Speaking in Stockholm alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Macron said, “We must organize ourselves in such a way that if the United States were to make a sovereign choice to stop or reduce this aid, it should have no impact on the ground.”
Macron went on to say, “Ukraine is on European soil. It is a European country. And if we want a peaceful and stable Europe, we need to be credible in terms of our own security and defense vis-à-vis all our neighbors.”
Macron is on a two-day visit “to renew our friendship, our partnership in the European Union, and as Sweden prepares to join NATO, our alliance,” as he emphasized when he was welcomed by King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Sweden, along with neighboring Finland, decided to jettison a tradition of military non-alignment by seeking membership in the Western defense alliance NATO in response to Russia’s February 2022 invasion on Ukraine.
Finland joined last year but Sweden’s bid had been held up until recently by Turkey, which has finally given approval. Now, Hungary is the last holdout in a vote that requires unanimous consent.
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Skip next section Ukraine says 15 Russian attack drones shot down
12 hours ago12 hours ago
Ukraine says 15 Russian attack drones shot down
Ukraine said Tuesday that air defense systems downed 15 out of 35 drones and two missiles launched by Russian forces launched during an overnight raid.
Officials said two people were killed.
Ukraine’s air force said the drones had targeted fuel and energy infrastructure, and civilian and military facilities near the front line.
https://p.dw.com/p/4botc
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Skip next section Russia destroys 21 Ukrainian drones: reports
16 hours ago16 hours ago
Russia destroys 21 Ukrainian drones: reports
Russian air defence systems destroyed or intercepted 21 Ukraine-launched drones over the Crimean Peninsula and other regions, Russian news agencies said citing the Defense Ministry.
Eleven of the drones were destroyed over Crimea, RIA state news agency reported.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, governor of Sevastopol in Crimea, said on the Telegram messaging app that there was no damage in the port city. Reports said drones were also destroyed over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Tula regions.
Kaluga Regional Governor Vladislav Shapsha said on Telegram debris fell on the roof of a non-residential building, but no major damage or injuries were reported.
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Skip next section German politicians press Scholz on Taurus missiles delivery
23 hours ago23 hours ago
German politicians press Scholz on Taurus missiles delivery
Politicians from Germany’s ruling coalition have increased pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
“We should deliver Taurus cruise missiles quickly,” Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt of the Greens told the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung on Tuesday.
Germany must “measure itself against what we have promised. And we have promised that we will provide everything we can and that Ukraine needs. Taurus is what we have and what Ukraine needs now,” she added.
Free Democratic Party (FDP) parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr also told the newspaper that supporting Kyiv with the missiles “would be sensible and right.”
“We must always be aware that Ukraine is not only defending itself in the fight against Putin, but also the democratic values and convictions that we share,” Dürr said.
Cruise missiles dominate Germany-Ukraine talks
02:08
The German Taurus missiles can hit targets up to 500 kilometers (310.6 miles) away with great precision.
Kyiv officially requested the cruise missiles from Berlin in May last year. In a Sunday interview with German broadcaster ARD, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was regrettable that Germany was not prepared to supply Ukraine with the missiles.
https://p.dw.com/p/4boaL
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Skip next section Chinese, Ukrainian diplomats discuss bilateral ties
23 hours ago23 hours ago
Chinese, Ukrainian diplomats discuss bilateral ties
China’s vice foreign minister exchanged views with the Ukrainian ambassador to China over the ongoing conflict, a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said Tuesday.
Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong told Ambassador Pavlo Riabikin that both Beijing and Kyiv should respect each other and treat each other with sincerity in order to promote the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations.
rmt/jsi (AFP, dpa, Reuters, dpa)
