Ukraine war in Newsblog | Zelenskyj asks for long-range missiles and airplanes

Day 337 since the beginning of the war: The USA also delivered battle tanks to Germany. Other countries want to join. All information in the news blog.

9:48 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asks NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a telephone call for long-range missiles and aircraft. That’s what Zelenskyj said in his evening video speech. When it comes to tank deliveries, speed and numbers are the most important factors in his country’s war effort. An armored force would have to be set up so that tyranny would no longer stand a chance.

9:38 p.m.: According to the US government, there are no indications of an imminent Russian attack on the territory of the NATO defense alliance. “All I can tell you is that we have seen absolutely no indication that Mr. Putin has any intentions to attack NATO territory,” National Security Council communications director John Kirby said on Wednesday. Kirby answered a journalist’s question as to how Russia’s President Vladimir Putin could react to the promised deliveries of main battle tanks to Ukraine – also with a view to NATO countries such as Poland.

The US government had previously announced that it would send Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine to ward off Russia’s war of aggression. Kirby echoed US President Joe Biden’s statement that the tanks posed no “offensive threat” to Russia. But: “Do they pose a threat to Russian soldiers (in Ukraine)? And do they do that?” Biden had previously described the Abrams as “the most powerful tank in the world”.

9:36 p.m.: The UN cultural organization Unesco has declared the old town of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, which was repeatedly shelled during the war, as an endangered world cultural heritage. This means that technical and financial aid can be used to ensure the protection and preservation of the threatened old town, Unesco announced in Paris on Wednesday. Odessa is located in southern Ukraine and is considered a cultural metropolis.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed UNESCO’s decision. “This international step will help us protect our Odessa,” he said in his daily video address on Wednesday evening. “Ukraine and the world offer protection, Russia can offer nothing but terror and attacks.”

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, the city has been repeatedly attacked with rockets and cruise missiles. Most recently, the energy infrastructure was severely damaged, but residential buildings were also hit. Ukrainian authorities are trying to protect works of art on site or bring them to safety.

6:47 p.m.: Despite the war in Ukraine, athletes from Russia and Belarus can once again hope to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. According to the head of the International Olympic Committee, a “large majority of participants” in consultations with federations and athletes’ representatives have called for exploring a way for athletes from both countries to participate “under strict conditions”. The focus is on the offer by the Asian umbrella organization to let Russian and Belarusian athletes compete in its competitions.

This could also include Olympic qualifying competitions. The condition is that these athletes respect the Olympic Charter and the existing sanctions because of the Ukraine war, said the IOC. In principle, the IOC confirmed that the punitive measures against Russia and Belarus should remain in place for the time being.

IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly said that sport should not be politicized and that Russian athletes should not be punished for their country’s war of aggression. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke out again on Tuesday against the participation of Russian athletes in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. This was reported by Selenskyj after a telephone conversation with his French colleague Emmanuel Macron.

6:48 p.m.: After Germany and other countries, Norway also wants to make Leopard main battle tanks available to Ukraine. The Norwegian government supports letting Ukraine have tanks and will do its part, Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said on Norwegian radio station NRK on Wednesday evening. This is done as part of broad collaboration with allies and partners. He cannot yet say how many of the country’s 36 Leopard tanks will be delivered. But it is about Leopard 2A4 tanks.