Day 463 since the beginning of the war: Volodymyr Zelenskyy asks in Moldova again for rockets and fighter jets. Kremlin spokesman Peskov accuses the West of “Russophobia”. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Majority against German fighter jet deliveries to Ukraine
6:26 p.m.: According to a survey, a majority of the German population is against deliveries of combat aircraft from the Federal Republic to Ukraine.
64 percent of those questioned reject German deliveries, according to a survey published on Thursday by Infratest dimap for the ARD “Deutschlandtrend”. 28 percent are in favor of deliveries, 8 percent do not dare to make a statement on this question.
Various Western countries have announced that they will deliver American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Great Britain and France, which do not have F-16s in service themselves, want to take part in the training. The Federal Republic also does not have these fighter jets. Ukraine has also expressed its desire to receive German Eurofighter combat aircraft. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has so far reacted cautiously and a few weeks ago described the delivery of western-style fighter jets as not making sense.
Putin invited to summit in South Africa
6:08 p.m.: Despite an international arrest warrant, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to a summit of emerging countries in South Africa. All five heads of state of the Brics members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have received an invitation to a planned summit in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said at a meeting of the Brics foreign ministers on Thursday.
This year’s summit meeting is particularly politically explosive. In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin. South Africa, which signed the ICC’s statutes, would be obliged to arrest the Russian President upon entry into South Africa. So far, South Africa has not made a clear statement on the procedure should Putin actually arrive. South Africa had already come under criticism in 2015 when the country refused to arrest then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and extradite him to the ICC.
At the preparatory talks on Thursday in Cape Town, the foreign ministers of the up-and-coming emerging countries wanted to discuss, among other things, better cooperation among themselves and with the G20. Also high on the list at the ministerial meeting is whether to admit countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and 17 others that have applied to join the Brics. The ministers also want to discuss issues such as poverty and global inequality. However, decisions are only made during the summit meeting.
Mercenary boss Prigoshin reports on Wagner withdrawal from Bakhmut
5:01 p.m.: According to the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, his fighters are withdrawing from the conquered eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. By next Monday (June 5), all positions in the front area would be handed over to soldiers of the regular Russian army, Prigozhin said in a video published on Thursday night. In view of his 62nd birthday, he also showed himself with Wagner fighters at a nightly target practice.
His troops would be withdrawn from the battle line but remain stationed in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Prigozhin added. It was initially not possible to independently check how far the change of position had actually progressed.
Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi announced that his army had stopped fighting on the flanks of Bakhmut. “The leadership of our group is taking appropriate measures to restore the combat capability of our units and thwart the enemy’s intentions,” Syrskyi told the Ukrayinska Pravda portal.
For months, Bakhmut, which had been conquered by the Russian occupiers but not given up by the Ukrainians, had been fought bitterly and with heavy losses. In the fight for the completely destroyed city, which once had 70,000 inhabitants, fierce power struggles within the Russian military leadership have also come to light in recent weeks. Prigozhin repeatedly accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of not providing his fighters with sufficient ammunition.
