Live blog: Majority of Germans against tank, jet supplies to Kiev - survey

Sunday, February 26, 2023

1303 GMT — Majority of Germans against tank, jet deliveries to Ukraine: Survey

A large proportion of Germans are against any move to give Ukraine tanks or fighter jets, a new survey shows.

Some 44 percent believe sending Leopard 2 battle tanks to Kiev is the wrong decision, according to the results of a survey by pollster YouGov.

At least 41 percent support the German government as it plans to send the first of 18 tanks to Ukraine by the end of March.

There was an overwhelming rejection when it comes to fighter jets, with 56 percent of respondents against the idea and only 27 percent in favour.

1045 GMT — No movement in NATO guarantees for Ukraine - German government

There has been no development for months in the discussion of possible NATO security guarantees for Ukraine, a government spokesperson has said.

"At the recent meeting of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron with Ukrainian leader Zelenskiy, this issue played no role at all," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement follows a recent report by The Wall Street Journal that said some of NATO's biggest European members are floating a defense pact with Ukraine.

1013 GMT — Ukrainian envoy presses Switzerland to greenlight arms deliveries 

Switzerland "cannot be neutral" about Russia's war on Ukraine and must allow weapons deliveries to Kiev, according to the Ukrainian envoy in the country. 

"Our country is fighting not only for its survival, but for all of Europe, for the free world," Iryna Venediktova, Ukraine's ambassador to Switzerland, said in an interview with SonntagsZeitung newspaper published. 

"For that, we need weapons, as many as possible – they will decide the fate of all of us," she added. 

Venediktova said she respects Swiss neutrality, but urged it to "please let other countries send their Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine." 

"In view of Russia's attack on Ukraine, Switzerland cannot be neutral," she said, reiterating that the conflict is about "defending the international legal order and human rights."

0733 GMT — West 'indirect accomplice' to Ukrainian crimes, says Russian president 

President Vladimir Putin said Russia had no choice but to take into account the nuclear capabilities of NATO as the US-led military alliance was seeking the defeat of Russia. 

"In today's conditions, when all the leading NATO countries have declared their main goal as inflicting a strategic defeat on us, so that our people suffer as they say, how can we ignore their nuclear capabilities in these conditions?" Putin told Rossiya 1 state television on Sunday, according to TASS. 

The West, Putin said, wanted to liquidate Russia. "They have one goal: to disband the former Soviet Union and its fundamental part - the Russian Federation," Putin said, according to TASS. 

The West, he said, was an indirect accomplice to the "crimes" committed by Ukraine.

0134 GMT — Thousands across Europe, Türkiye march for Ukraine 

Several cities in Europe saw demonstrations in favour of Ukraine as thousands protested the "special military operation" initiated by Russia. 

In Brussels, crowds in front of the North railway station shouted: "Stop the Russian war for peace in Ukraine" and "Ukraine wins, democracy wins." 

Several cities in Italy also saw protests. 

A march was held late in the day in Rome under the name, "Europe for Peace," with contributions from non-governmental organisations. 

Two cities in Türkiye with Ukrainian communities saw demonstrations. 

In southern Antalya province, Ukrainians held a ceremony to mark the end of the first year of the War. 

Ukrainians in Ataturk City Square unfurled Ukrainian and Turkish flags and sang the National Anthem of Ukraine.

0030 GMT — Russia halts oil deliveries to Poland: Polish refiner 

Russia has suspended oil deliveries to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline, according to Poland's leading oil and gas conglomerate, PKN Orlen. 

CEO Daniel Obajte wrote on Twitter that the company was prepared for the situation and is effectively securing supplies. 

The company told Polish News Agency PAP that deliveries to its refineries would continue on tankers, with no effect on Polish customers. 

Since the company decided not to renew its contract with Russia's oil company, Rosneft, Russian oil had only met around 10 percent of Orlen's needs.

2300 GMT — Moscow accuses US of attempts to disrupt Russia-Africa ties

The United States is "exerting unprecedented pressure" on African countries, including attempting to disrupt a planned Russia-Africa summit, Russia's deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying.

President Vladimir Putin will host the second Russia-Africa summit in July in St. Petersburg, an event intended to underline his attempts to curry favour in African nations after being shunned by the West over his invasion in Ukraine a year ago.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, quoted by the state TASS agency reiterated Moscow's accusations of the "collective West" staging a campaign to isolate Moscow.

"The United States and its allies are conducting an unprecedented campaign for the political and economic isolation of Russia, including the disruption of the Russian-Africa second summit in St. Petersburg," Bogdanov told TASS.

2100 GMT — Fighting intensifies near Ukraine's Bakhmut

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has said forces of his Wagner group had captured the village of Yahidne, just north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

But Ukrainian military reports suggested that villages near the key town remained under Kiev's control.

"At 1900 on 25th February, storm units of the Wagner private military company secured complete control of the locality of Yagodnoye (Yahidne) to the north of Bakhmut," Prigozhin said in the audio clip.

A day earlier, he said Wagner had taken control of Berkhivka, an adjacent village on the outskirts of Bakhmut.

The months-long struggle for Bakhmut, where only about 5,000 of 70,000 residents remain, has seen some of the bloodiest attritional fighting of Russia's military offensive.

For our live updates from Saturday (February 25), click here.