The essentials in brief:
- Russia vetoes draft resolution on annexations
- Foreign Minister Baerbock condemns annexations as land grabs
- Zelenskyi announces military successes in eastern Ukraine
- White House sees no rush for Ukraine to join NATO
- US interim budget includes billions in aid for Ukraine
As expected, the Russian government vetoed a draft resolution in the UN Security Council condemning the Russian annexation of Ukrainian territories as a violation of international law. Ten countries voted in New York for the document submitted by the United States and Albania. It also calls on Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine. Four countries on the highest UN body abstained: China, India, Brazil and Gabon. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebensia criticized the vote on the draft resolution as a provocation and an openly hostile act. It is expected that the draft resolution in this or a similar form will now be put to the vote of the UN General Assembly in the coming days.
The annexation, which violates international law, followed the referendums in the four Ukrainian regions, which the West and the government in Kyiv condemned as sham referendums, in which, according to Russian information, a vast majority of people had spoken out in favor of joining Russia. According to reports, there were threats of violence during these referendums, so a secret and free election did not take place.
Foreign Minister Baerbock condemns annexations as land grabs
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has condemned the annexation of four Ukrainian territories by Russia as “the gravest breach of the UN Charter”. The “annexation theater and the sham referendums” are half-hearted attempts to hide what “we’ve been seeing for the past six months – a land grab with the most brutal violence, using methods that you can hardly imagine,” says the minister. This cannot be accepted by any country in the world. The Russian present Vladimir Putin wants to take over the entire Ukraine. In addition, he has repeatedly made it clear that he will not shy away from attacking other countries. Regarding Russia’s threats of a nuclear escalation, Baerbock said the West must take these words seriously, but must not allow itself to be “blackmailed”.
Zelenskyi announces military successes in eastern Ukraine
A few hours after the illegal annexation of several areas by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the successes of his army in the east of the country. “Everyone has heard what is happening in Lyman,” said Zelenskyy in a video address, with a view of the strategically important small town in the Donetsk region. Previously, the Donetsk occupation chief Denis Puschilin had already admitted the almost complete encirclement of Russian troops in Lyman by Ukrainian soldiers. “These are steps that mean a lot to us,” said Zelenskyj. “We have to liberate our whole country and that will be the best proof that international law and human rights cannot be broken by any terrorist state.”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
White House sees no rush for Ukraine to join NATO
The United States currently sees no need for an accelerated process for Ukraine’s accession to NATO. “Our view is that the best way we can help Ukraine is through hands-on support on the ground. And that the Brussels case should be picked up at another time,” said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. At the same time, he emphasized that all decisions on NATO membership are a matter for the accession candidates and the members of the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday submitted an application for accelerated NATO accession after the formal annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (stock image)
Biden: West will not be “intimidated” by Putin
In light of the recent escalation in the Ukraine war, US President Joe Biden has stressed that the US and its NATO allies will stand firm against Russian President Vladimir Putin. “America and our allies will not be intimidated,” Biden said at the White House in Washington. Putin will “not frighten the West”. At the same time, Biden warned the Russian President against any attack on a NATO country. “The United States and its partners are fully prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory,” stressed the US President.
US interim budget includes billions in aid for Ukraine
The US has approved an interim budget with billions more in aid for Ukraine. President Joe Biden signed the budget approved by the House of Representatives a few hours earlier. The interim budget, scheduled to run until mid-December, provides for military and economic support for Ukraine in the amount of around 12.3 billion dollars (12.5 billion euros). The budget also authorizes Biden to allocate up to $3.7 billion to transfer surplus US-held weapons to Ukraine.
The budget will also avert another so-called shutdown. This means a forced reduction in government spending, which occurs again and again in the USA when Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on a budget in good time. The deadline would have expired at midnight local time, but funding is now secured until December 16th. The Senate launched the interim budget on Thursday, and the House of Representatives approved it on Friday.
Gazprom quantifies gas loss in Nord Stream pipelines
Around 800 million cubic meters of gas escaped from the two damaged Nord Stream pipelines after the explosions. This was announced by a spokesman for the Russian energy company Gazprom. According to a report by the TASS news agency, the volume of the leaked gas corresponds to three months’ supply for Denmark. According to the spokesman, there is still no foreseeable timetable for repairing the leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. The duration of the repair cannot yet be estimated. From a technical point of view, the task was “very overwhelming”. Such leaks have never existed before, the spokesman said.
IMF warns of severe global food crisis
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Russian invasion of Ukraine is leading to the worst global food crisis since at least 2008. Around 345 million people are currently threatened by life-threatening food shortages, writes the IMF. Forty-eight countries hit hardest by food shortages will have to pay $9 billion more for importing goods this year and next. The fund is therefore calling for an immediate increase in support through the United Nations World Food Program and other organizations. In 2008 there was a food price crisis that left millions of people starving.
kle/wa (dpa, afp, rtr)
This article will be continuously updated on the day of its publication. Reports from the combat zones cannot be independently verified.
