In Kiev, President Zelensky recalls the shooting down of a Boeing over eastern Ukraine ten years ago. Russia’s chief diplomat Lavrov, meanwhile, renews Moscow’s claim to this very area.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sharply criticizes the West’s plans for another peace conference on Ukraine. There are points that are unacceptable for his country, Lavrov said on the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting in New York. “The course has been set to push through the so-called Zelensky plan at any cost, which has the clear form of an ultimatum.”
Zelensky had made the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine a condition for peace. Lavrov, on the other hand, once again insisted on Moscow’s demand to occupy even more Ukrainian territories.
Lavrov: “not all territories liberated yet”
“There (in the east and southeast of Ukraine) not all territories have been liberated yet. We cannot leave the people who voted to return to Russia under the yoke of the regime that is eradicating everything Russian,” said Lavrov. The claim that the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine had to be protected served as a pretext for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to start his war of aggression against the neighboring country more than two years ago.
Boeing shot down ten years ago: Remembering the victims
Meanwhile, Zelensky recalled the shooting down of the MH17 plane over the Donbass region ten years ago – pro-Russian rebels were responsible for this. “I have no doubt that the trial and the work of international justice as a whole will lead to absolutely just punishments for all those responsible for the accident,” Zelensky said in his video address. This punishment is also necessary, just as it is for all other crimes that Russia committed in the war.
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile over contested territory on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board died. According to international investigations, the Buk anti-aircraft system had been brought from a Russian military base across the border into eastern Ukraine and transported back after it was shot down. It was still the initial phase of the fighting that would eventually escalate into Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.
Two Russians and a Ukrainian were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia by a Dutch court in 2022 for 298 counts of murder. Russia denies any responsibility and also refuses to extradite the men.
Lavrov praises Vance
Lavrov, however, has praise for JD Vance, who has been presented by Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump as a possible vice president. The US senator from Ohio is in favor of peace and for stopping military aid to Ukraine, Lavrov said in New York, according to the Russian news agency Tass. “We can only welcome this because it is exactly what is needed – to stop inflating Ukraine with weapons.” Lavrov added: “The war will be over. We will start looking for solutions.”
Media: Bridgehead on the Dnipro River costs Kiev many victims
Meanwhile, according to media reports, Ukraine suffered heavy losses at a bridgehead on the Dnipro in the southeast of the country. In total, more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are said to have died in the months-long battle for the small town of Krynki. 788 soldiers deployed there are missing, reported the Internet portal “Slidstwo.Info” citing police sources. 262 soldiers were recovered dead in the same period. Only shortly before, media had reported that Ukraine had abandoned the bridgehead.
Krynki is a small village on the south bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. The fighting for the settlement was criticized from the beginning due to its hopelessness.
Conditions fulfilled: Ukraine to receive new EU billions
Ukraine is due to receive the first regular payment from the EU’s new billion-euro aid program shortly. The country has fulfilled the reform requirements, said the EU Commission, which is responsible for the review. In their view, almost 4.2 billion euros could be paid out.
The new EU aid program provides financial aid of 50 billion euros over a period of four years, mostly in the form of loans. The EU wants to use the financial aid to enable the Ukrainian state to continue paying wages and pensions. In addition, the operation of hospitals, schools and emergency shelters for resettled people is to be guaranteed. In addition, the money can also be used to restore infrastructure destroyed by the Russian war of aggression.
What is important today
The trial of US journalist Evan Gershkovich continues in Yekaterinburg. Russia accuses the Wall Street Journal correspondent of spying on a Russian arms company. If found guilty, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
