Energy News
WAR REPORT
Under-pressure Zelensky in Germany to rally Ukraine's allies
Under-pressure Zelensky in Germany to rally Ukraine's allies
By W.G. DUNLOP
Ramstein Air Base, Germany (AFP) Sept 6, 2024

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday visits Germany where Ukraine's military backers are meeting, days after one of the deadliest strikes of the war and as Russian forces make battlefield gains.

Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold "one-on-one" talks in Frankfurt, according to a German government spokesman, who did not give further details about the Ukrainian leader's programme.

But German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that Zelensky will also attend the gathering of Kyiv's backers, which includes the United States, at the US Ramstein Air Base.

The meeting at the base southwest of Frankfurt is being hosted by US defence chief Lloyd Austin.

Zelensky's presence is intended to underline "the seriousness of the situation" on the ground in Ukraine, Spiegel said, days after 55 people were killed and 300 wounded in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava.

Austin is due to speak at the opening of the meeting at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and will host a press conference at around 16:15 pm.

The talks, with representatives from some 50 nations, will focus on areas including bolstering Ukraine's air defences and encouraging allies to boost their defence industries, said Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder.

"Ukraine matters to US and international security, and the efforts of (Kyiv's allies meeting in Ramstein) continue to play a vital role in Ukraine's fight for freedom and sovereignty," he said.

The meeting comes as Moscow's forces advance in the Donbas, with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declaring that capturing the eastern area was his "primary objective" in the conflict.

Since the start of its offensive in February 2022 when it failed to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Russia has adapted its aims, concentrating instead on trying to conquer eastern Ukraine.

While Ukraine's surprise push into Russia's Kursk region last month caught Russian forces off-guard, Putin stressed that the move had failed to slow Moscow's advance.

"The enemy weakened itself in key areas, our army has accelerated its offensive operations," Putin argued.

- Uncertainty over Ukraine backing -

The United States has been Ukraine's biggest backer during the conflict, providing military aid worth 51.6 billion euros ($56 billion), according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

But uncertainty looms over the future of that funding as a US election in November could see Ukraine-sceptic Donald Trump back in the White House.

Germany, Ukraine's second-biggest backer, has also come under pressure domestically over its aid for Kyiv, which has been at the centre of a protracted row over the 2025 budget.

Regional elections in the former East German states of Saxony and Thuringia on Sunday saw a surge of support for parties on the far right and far left opposed to the government's support for Ukraine.

France, another of Kyiv's biggest backers, has also been locked in a political crisis for several weeks.

Zelensky has repeatedly called for more long-range missiles to help repel Russian forces, but the United States and Germany have so far been reluctant to provide them.

The Ukrainian leader also wants allies to lift restrictions on the use of their weapons to target positions deep inside Russian territory.

Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has been laying the groundwork for Zelensky by holding talks in the United States, Britain, France and Germany over the past few days.

Zelensky will also be looking to present a united front after the resignation of Ukraine's top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba in the biggest government reshuffle since the invasion.

Ahead of the meeting, Britain said it would send Kyiv 650 lightweight missiles before the end of the year to boost Ukraine's air defence capabilities.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's allies in Europe have moved to expand their defences in response to the increased threat from Russia.

Germany's military put a first Iris-T air-defence system into service on its own soil Wednesday, having delivered several of them to Ukraine to intercept Russian rockets, drones and missiles.

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
Nine DR Congo coup accused plead not guilty
Kinshasa (AFP) Aug 30, 2024
Nine defendants on trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo over what the army says was a coup attempt on Friday pleaded not guilty. Fifty-one people, including three US citizens, are on trial over the incident, which began in the early hours of May 19 when armed men attacked the home of the DRC's Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe. The group then went to a building housing President Felix Tshisekedi's offices, brandishing flags of Zaire, the country's name under ex-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who w ... read more

WAR REPORT
UK announces record green energy auction

Treasury Department, IRS, propose expansion of clean energy tax credits

China nears peak emissions as climate envoy meets US counterpart

Court rules S. Korea climate goals 'unconstitutional'

WAR REPORT
Argonne to lead National Energy Storage Research Hub

Researchers discover a surprising way to jump-start battery performance

Bubbling, frothing and sloshing: Long-hypothesized plasma instabilities finally observed

Innovative smart windows cool buildings and generate electricity without external power

WAR REPORT
Researchers develop method for chemically recyclable wind turbine blades

India's green energy wind drive hits desert herders hard

MIT engineers' new theory could improve the design and operation of wind farms

Engineers Develop Cost-Effective Seafloor Testing Device for Offshore Wind Farms

WAR REPORT
Custom innovations for fault detection in renewable power grids

AI-powered process unveils chemical keys for solar energy advancements

UN's Guterres says China-Africa ties can drive 'renewable energy revolution'

Major Qatari plant to double solar capacity by 2030: minister

WAR REPORT
Assorted, distinctive behavior of molten uranium salt revealed by neutrons

UN nuclear head says discussed Kursk plant safety with Zelensky

New French nuclear reactor enters automatic shutdown

Framatome Gains U.S. Approval to Transport Higher Enriched Nuclear Fuel

WAR REPORT
CABBI team designs efficient bioenergy crops that need less water to grow

Engineered microbes efficiently convert CO2 into key pharmaceutical precursors

UK power firm to pay fine over inaccurate data on wood

Turning bacteria into bioplastic factories

WAR REPORT
US Navy sailor detained by law enforcement in Venezuela

MiQ updates guidance on satellite data for verifying methane emissions

'Business is business' at bustling China-Africa summit

Malaysia to continue South China Sea exploration: PM

WAR REPORT
Sunken village emerges as Greek drought bites

Namibia's drought cull of more than 700 wildlife under way

COP29 finance draft reveals divided positions

Climate change intensifying Sicily, Sardinia droughts: study

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.