The discussions



  • Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border on Monday.

    The Russian delegation was led by the Kremlin's special envoy, Vladimir Medinsky.

    Presidential faction leader David Arakhamiya headed the Ukrainian side.

    The location of the negotiations was initially unknown.

The invasion

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the armed forces to continue attacks against the neighbor.

    Heavy fighting also broke out during the night.

    The focal points were the capital Kyiv with its 2.8 million citizens and the city of Kharkiv.

    Putin ordered a "special military operation" last Thursday and invaded Ukraine.

  • According to the Ukrainian General Staff, 4,500 Russian soldiers have died since the beginning of the war.

    The figure cannot be independently verified.

    Russia admitted losses without naming numbers.

    Putin underestimated Ukraine's resistance.

escape from war

  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 422,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the war began.

  • At a meeting with Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar in Berlin, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) thanked Ukraine's neighboring countries for taking in the hundreds of thousands of refugees.

    Germany is also ready to help.

    Read more about the preparations here.

EU accession of Ukraine?

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is pushing for his country to join the EU.

  • EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke out in favor of Ukraine's accession on Sunday.

  • Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) expressed reservations about Ukraine's rapid accession to the EU.

    Everyone is aware "that joining the EU is not something that can be completed in a few months".

Russia's steps

  • The Russian Defense Ministry has put

    the nuclear power's

    deterrent weapons on

    increased alert

    .

    Minister Sergei Shoigu said this to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

    Specifically, he named the strategic missile troops, the Northern and Pacific fleets and the long-range aviation forces.

    Putin ordered the move in response to aggressive statements by NATO.

  • In response to airspace closures for Russian aircraft by several countries, aircraft from Germany and 35 other countries will no longer be allowed to fly over Russia.

  • The Kremlin admits a new "economic reality".

    "These are severe sanctions, they are problematic," said Putin's spokesman Peskov.

reactions in the West

  • Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is cutting ties with Russia and wants to have the state foundation set up for the construction of Nord Stream 2 dissolved.

  • The delivery of German armaments is not a matter of days, but hours, said Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) on Monday.

    The federal government made a U-turn in defense policy on Sunday.

  • FC Schalke 04 is ending its partnership with the Russian energy company Gazprom.

  • After the European Union, the United States also implemented its sanctions against the Central Bank of Russia.

    American citizens and institutions are now banned from transactions with the central bank, and the central bank can no longer conduct transactions in US dollars worldwide.

    On Monday, American President Joe Biden wanted to consult with allies and partners.

  • Switzerland fully endorses EU sanctions against Russia.

  • The General Assembly of the United Nations wanted to deal with the war in a rare emergency session on Monday.