Begin quote from:
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-12-22/index.html
- All
- Catch Up
- NATO
Ukrainian foreign minister urges German companies to pull out of Russia and relocate to Ukraine
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday urged for German companies to pull out of Russia and relocate to Ukraine.
Kuleba tweeted, "As Russia keeps committing heinous atrocities in Ukraine, revenues of foreign companies still doing business in Russia are stained with Ukrainian blood. I urge German businesses to pull out of Russia and relocate to Ukraine. This will be a sincere contribution to peace in Europe."
Earlier Thursday, Kuleba told reporters in Berlin that Ukraine has seen the positive dynamic and praised Germany's response to the war with Russia. ''We see an evolving position of Germany on the most important issues — this position is moving in the right direction,'' Kuleba said.
View Kuleba's tweet here:
France says it fully supports Finland’s "sovereign choice" to join NATO
From CNN's Zahid Mahmood in London, Joseph Ataman in Paris and Nadine Schmidt in Berlin
French President Emmanuel Macron told his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö on Thursday that France “fully supports” Finland’s bid to join NATO.
"The President of the [French] Republic has told the President of Finland that France fully supports Finland's sovereign choice to quickly join NATO," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also welcomed Finland’s bid to join the alliance and offered Berlin’s “full support,” after Finland's president and prime minister announced their support for joining NATO, moving the Nordic nation — which shares an 800-mile border with Russia — one step closer to membership of the US-led military alliance.
On Wednesday, Niinistö said that Russian President Vladimir Putin should “look in the mirror" if Finland decides to join NATO to increase its own security.
While speaking alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Helsinki, the Finnish leader said that if Finland joined NATO, it would be the result of Putin’s own actions.
Another Russian naval ship is on fire in the Black Sea, Ukraine says
From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych
A Russian support ship, the "Vsevolod Bobrov," was being towed to Sevastopol from the area of Snake Island after it caught fire, according to Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for Odesa Regional Military Administration.
G7 foreign ministers will discuss how to end Ukrainian grain blockade during meeting in Germany
From CNN’s Nadine Schmidt in Berlin
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations will discuss how to end a blockade of Ukrainian grain so it can be exported to the world, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Thursday, as the meeting kicks off at the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus, northeast of the German city of Hamburg.
''There are 25 millions of grain currently blocked in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, which means food for millions of people in the world that is urgently needed, above all in African countries and the Middle East,” Baerbock told reporters.
Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain-producing countries.
The UN has called to reopen the Odesa port in southern Ukraine to help ease a global food crisis. CNN has also reported that Russian forces are stealing thousands of tons of grain from Ukrainian farmers, as well as targeting food storage sites with artillery, according to multiple sources.
The German foreign minister on Thursday welcomed top diplomats of the G7 nations for a three-day meeting, which will focus on the war in Ukraine, energy and food security, relationship with China and climate change.
Baerbock also welcomed her Ukrainian and Moldovan counterparts, Dmytro Kuleba and Nicu Popescu, who are attending the meeting as guests.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, whose country chairs the Group of 20 major economies (G20) this year, is also participating in the meeting but remotely.
Nearly 100 children killed in Ukraine in April alone and actual figures could be higher, UNICEF says
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
UNICEF has verified that almost 100 children were killed in Ukraine in April alone, but actual figures could be significantly higher with the conflict creating a child protection crisis, a top UNICEF official told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
"In just this past month, the UN verified that nearly 100 children were killed, and we believe the actual figures to be considerably higher," UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi said.
During his remarks at the UN Security Council Meeting on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine, Abdi said, "More children have been injured and faced grave violations of their rights, millions more have been displaced," and added, "The war in Ukraine, like all wars, is a child protection and child rights crisis."
Abdi also said that "education is also under attack" and "schools continue to be used for military purposes."
"As of last week, at least 15 of 89 — one in six — UNICEF-supported schools in eastern Ukraine had been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war." he said and added, "Hundreds of schools across the country are reported to have been hit by heavy artillery, airstrikes, and other explosive weapons in populated areas."
"Schools are a lifeline for children, especially in conflict. Schools are a safe spaces, with routines providing protection from harm and a semblance of normalcy. Schools are also critical conduits for information about the risks of deadly explosive ordnance. And they are a connector to essential health and psychosocial services," he continued.
UN urges all parties in Ukraine to remove barriers blocking movement of humanitarian staff to save lives
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
The United Nations on Thursday urged all parties in the Ukraine conflict to remove any barriers blocking the free movement of humanitarian staff to allow for the delivery of life-saving assistance across Ukraine.
Speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting Thursday on Ukraine's maintenance of peace and security, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said that under international humanitarian law, the parties must respect all civilians as well as civilian homes.
"This includes allowing civilians to leave areas of hostilities voluntarily and safely," she added.
Msuya also said that the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross were able to evacuate 174 civilians on Monday from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and other parts of the city. Msuya added that this was the third operation in the past week out of Mariupol, "bringing the total number of civilians evacuated from the steel plant Mariupol and neighboring towns to over 600."
Msuya said that almost 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes. Of that number, 8 million have been internally displaced. Nongovernmental organizations have provided assistance to more than 5.4 million people, she said, the majority of whom are in eastern Ukraine.
Msuya also emphasized the importance of the UN in exploring all options to save lives in Ukraine, saying, "We remain firmly committed to leaving no stone unturned."
"The world expects this of us; the people of Ukraine deserve this," Msuya added.
No comments:
Post a Comment