Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday according to which residents of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia can obtain Russian citizenship on easier terms. In 2019, Putin had already simplified naturalization for residents of the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, a cession of territory even in exchange for an end to the war is out of the question, as he made clear on Wednesday. “Ukraine is fighting until it has its entire territory back,” said Zelenskyj on Wednesday at an event organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Davos. He was digitally connected to the discussion on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
He is ready for talks if Russia withdraws to the areas where it was before the war began in February, Zelensky said. “I can only speak directly to the president, no intermediaries, no intermediaries,” said Zelenskyy. For this, Putin must leave his “bubble”. Russia is not currently negotiating seriously.
The Ukrainian government fears that Russia could incorporate the Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson regions along the lines of Crimea, which annexed the Black Sea peninsula in 2014. Putin had already recognized the “People’s Republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states against strong international criticism. However, it is unclear whether they want to remain independent or apply for admission to the Russian Federation. One of the reasons given by Russia for its military invasions is that it wants to protect its citizens or newcomers abroad.
Meanwhile, the parliament in Moscow on Wednesday voted in favor of a law that would allow men and women to be up to 50 years old if they signed up for service in the army. Previously, the upper limit was 40 years. The law, introduced by the Kremlin party United Russia, states that “highly professional specialists” who are usually 40 years of age or older are needed to operate precision weapons. Russian President Putin, meanwhile, visited soldiers injured in the war against Ukraine for the first time since the beginning of the war in a Moscow hospital on Wednesday.
“Not all economic problems have their roots in the conflict with Ukraine”
Meanwhile, Putin has ordered the government to raise pensions and the minimum wage by 10 percent. In a televised speech to the State Council, the President said not all economic problems stemmed from the conflict with Ukraine. He predicted that inflation would not exceed 15 percent this year.
According to information from Kyiv, Russian troops have gone on the offensive in eastern Ukraine and are fighting for the city of Severodonetsk in the heavily contested Luhansk region. The nearby town of Lyman is also a target of the Russian ground offensive, supported by airstrikes and artillery, the Ukrainian general staff said in its situation report on Wednesday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for a complete halt to Western trade with Russia. The sanctions would have to be taken to the next level. “The world should stop buying Russian goods and services and stop trading with Russia,” he said. Otherwise, the money will help keep “the Russian war crimes machinery” going. The West must accept that the ultimate goal must be a victory for Ukraine.
Ukraine and Russia are among the largest wheat exporters
Moscow, on the other hand, has called for Western sanctions to be relaxed in view of the food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine. According to the Interfax agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko on Wednesday demanded the punitive measures imposed on Russia’s export industry and the financial sector be lifted. In addition, Ukraine must demine all ports, he demanded. Both countries are among the largest wheat exporters and play an important role in global food security.
After the complete conquest of Mariupol by Russian troops, according to the authorities working with the occupiers, a first cargo ship will leave the port in the next few days. The Russian news agency TASS reported that the ship will transport 3,000 tons of metal to Rostov-on-Don. During the weeks of fighting around Mariupol, shipping traffic had been halted.
According to the EU Commission, the assets of Russian oligarchs should be easier to confiscate if they circumvent EU sanctions. Circumvention of sanctions is to be included in the list of EU crimes in order to prosecute and punish violators of sanctions equally in all EU states. The confiscated money could be used to rebuild Ukraine.
Switzerland wants to confiscate assets worth more than 100 million francs (97 million euros) belonging to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was deposed in 2014, and return them to Ukraine. A procedure to confiscate the frozen assets has been launched, according to the government. There is no connection with the sanctions imposed on Russia for the attack on Ukraine.
Source: Nachrichten
