BERLIN – Continued Russian income from high fuel prices is “hurt” but the Russian economy is collapsing and “time is working against Russia,” said the German vice chancellor.
Robert Habeck, who is also Germany’s economy minister in charge of energy, told parliament on Thursday that “the income that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has earned in recent months because of price hikes hurts us, and we can’t help but be ashamed that we didn’t. reduce this dependence further.”
But he argued that looking at Russia’s oil and gas income does not tell the whole story. “Putin still gets the money, but he can hardly spend it anymore” because of Western sanctions, Habek said. He noted significant decreases in exports to Russia, including from Germany.
Habek said that “time is not working for Russia. It is working against Russia, it is working against the Russian economy.” “No one wants to invest in Russia anymore,” he added.
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The main developments in the Russo-Ukrainian war:
– Gallery: 100 days Unusual photos of Ukraine
The United States and Germany agree to supply advanced weapons to Ukraine
Ukraine’s endeavour To qualify for the World Cup finals during the war
A Ukrainian stabbed a Ukrainian in a New York bar, thinking he was Russian
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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Other developments:
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said Thursday that he expects Denmark to join the European Union’s common defense on July 1.
In a referendum on Wednesday, two-thirds of voters decided to abandon the 30-year-old exemption that kept the Scandinavian country in the European Union out of the country. With 100% of the votes counted, 66.9% voted to abandon the 30-year withdrawal and 33.1% opposed it.
The move is the latest example of a country in Europe seeking closer defense ties with allies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The referendum follows historic efforts by Sweden and Finland from the Nordic countries to join NATO.
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LONDON – Britain says it will send advanced medium-range missile systems to Ukraine, in a move coordinated with the United States.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK will send an unspecified number of M270 launchers, which can deliver precision-guided missiles up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.
Britain says the decision was made in close coordination with a US decision to send highly mobile artillery missile systems to Ukraine. The two missile systems are similar, although the US system has wheels while the British – also US-made – system runs on tracks.
Britain says Ukrainian forces will train in the UK to use the equipment.
Ukraine has appealed to its Western allies to send long-range missiles to help it counter Russian artillery attacks in the eastern Donbass region, which is focused on the Moscow offensive.
The United States said Ukraine had promised not to fire weapons into Russia. But Russia accused Washington of “pouring oil on the fire” of the conflict.
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Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukrainian emergency officials said overnight Russian bombing set a school in the city of Kharkiv on fire and that a woman died in the blaze.
Ukrainian officials said Thursday that another man was wounded. Fires caused by the bombing also broke out in other areas of the Kharkiv region.
Its governor, Valentin Reznichenko, said on Telegram that during the night Russian forces had bombed the Dnipropetrovsk region. He said that the bombing took place on the border with the Kherson region, which is mostly under Moscow’s control.
The governor of the Sumy region, bordering Russia, said that three people were injured as a result of missile shelling during the night, said Governor Dmytro Chivitsky.
In the east, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian troops continued to storm the main city of Severodonetsk. Russian forces also stormed the town of Komishovakha in the southeastern Zaporizhia region, large parts of which are under Russian control, the morning update of the General Staff reported.
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Bratislava, Slovakia – Slovakia has signed a deal to deliver eight Slovakian-made Zuzana cannons to Ukraine.
The Slovak Defense Ministry announced the deal between the state-run Constructa Defense Corporation and the Ukrainian side on Thursday.
Unlike previous arms supplies from Slovakia to Ukraine, this is a commercial deal. Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad says it is worth more than 40 million euros ($43 million).
Among other weapons, Slovakia previously donated a Soviet-era S-300 air defense system at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Lviv, Ukraine – A Russian missile has hit railways in the western Lviv region, a key conduit for supplies of Western weapons and other supplies, officials said.
Five people were wounded in the raid, the governor of Lviv region Maxim Kozytsky said, adding that more information will be available on Thursday.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the country’s interior minister, said the Russians had hit the Beskidy railway tunnel in the Carpathian Mountains, apparently in an attempt to cut off a major railway and disrupt arms and fuel shipments.
But the head of Ukraine’s railways said damage to the railways was still being assessed but the tunnel had survived.
The raid reportedly delayed three passenger trains, but they all later resumed their flights.
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