Ukraine war: Kiev demands EU Russian assets abroad and faster delivery of ammunition

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Ukrainian President Zelenskyj with EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borell (February 7, 2024)

Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for all frozen Russian assets to be transferred to his country. “Everything should be confiscated and used to counter terrorism,” Zelensky said in a video speech. Ukraine is working vigorously with its partners to ensure that a decision is made about Russian assets. This possible source of financing is also becoming more important for the country, which has been suffering from Russia's war of aggression for almost two years, because other financial flows are stalling. A billion-dollar aid package recently failed in the US Senate due to the domestic political dispute between Republicans and Democrats.

Zelensky also spoke to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Kiev about Russian assets that are frozen abroad. "We really need a unified and strong decision," said Zelensky. "A decision that proves that together we respect international law and have no regard for the terrorist state." According to Zelenskyj's earlier information, the sum is estimated at $300 billion (278 billion euros).

There are plans in the EU to send Ukraine the proceeds from frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank as a first step. This would also mean several billion euros per year. Expropriation of Russian assets is considered legally more difficult. The group of seven large democratic industrial nations (G7) also wants to use Russian money for Ukraine. The USA and Great Britain are moving forward with these plans.

Russian air strikes continue

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Burning houses in Kiev from the previous day (February 7, 2024)

Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP / dpa

On Thursday night, Russia again sent numerous combat drones against Ukrainian areas. There was an air alert after midnight, including in the Odessa area on the Black Sea. Initially nothing was known about impacts or damage. The Ukrainian General Staff in Kiev reported on Wednesday of 80 Russian attacks. "The operational situation in the east and south of Ukraine remains difficult," it said about the situation at the front.

Explosion at a Russian rocket factory test site

According to media reports, a serious explosion occurred on Wednesday evening at the test site of a Russian arms factory 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow. The Russian state news agency Tass confirmed the incident. The explosion and the column of fire that can be seen on social networks did not come from an accident, but from the planned test of a rocket engine. The agency reported this, citing local civil protection. This representation could not initially be independently verified.

According to reports, the explosion occurred on a site belonging to the Votkinsk machine-building factory in the Udmurt Republic. Among other things, Russian nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles are built in the factory. There were initially no indications that Ukraine was responsible for the explosion. In recent weeks, Ukraine has increasingly used drones to remotely attack Russian oil and gas industry facilities.

Kuleba calls on EU to deliver artillery ammunition more quickly

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged the EU to make more efforts to procure artillery ammunition for his country's defensive war against Russia. "We have the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War and we need these grenades to defend Europe," said Kuleba at a press conference with Borrell in Kiev. "We are talking here today about the defense of Europe and this requires extraordinary measures."

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba with EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borell (February 7, 2024)

Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP / dpa

Specifically, he suggested, among other things, that the EU should change or terminate existing supply contracts with third countries. "Let's not forget that there are still a lot of artillery shells in the world," Kuleba explained. The EU should “triple” its efforts so that these shells reach Europe and thus Ukraine.

The EU had previously admitted at the end of January that its ambitious plans to supply Ukraine with artillery shells had failed. Of the promised quantity of one million shots, only a little more than half are expected to be delivered by the end of March.

The new goal is now to reach the one million mark at least this year. According to Borrell, member states have pledged to deliver around 630,000 more bullets between March and then. Then you will be at more than a million.

Borrell emphasized in Kiev that EU deliveries of grenades and rockets had already accelerated. "We are giving top priority to deliveries to Ukraine and are even delaying the increase in our own arsenals," he explained. He promised that the EU would continue to expand production capacities. During his visit, he also visited a local drone production facility.

With a view to criticism of the EU's support efforts, Borrell explained that aid worth 88 billion euros had already flowed from the EU in the past two years. Around 28 billion euros of this was military aid. Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for almost two years with massive Western support.

IAEA boss Grossi explores the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Meanwhile, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, again visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian troops. It was his fourth visit to the largest nuclear facility in Europe since the Russian war of aggression began in February 2022. Grossi did not comment on his findings. It was about the protection of the plant, nuclear safety, the condition of the reactors and the cooling system as well as the qualifications of the operating team and other aspects. "As long as this conflict does not end without there being a nuclear accident with radiological consequences, we cannot say that our job is done," he said.

Russian troops have been occupying the nuclear power plant with six 1,000 megawatt reactors since the beginning of March 2022. The world public is alarmed because the facility has been repeatedly shot at. The Russian and Ukrainian sides blamed each other for this. Since September 2022, IAEA observers have been constantly in the shut down plant, but according to their own statements they do not have access everywhere.

aka/dpa