Latest news with #BorisPistorius
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko receives human rights award in Germany
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxer who has emerged as a key figure of Ukrainian defiance amid Russia's ongoing invasion, was awarded Germany's Franz Werfel Human Rights Award in Frankfurt on Sunday. Expressing his gratitude, Klitschko said the award went to all Kiev residents and to the Ukrainian people courageously resisting the aggressor. Russia's next targets could be elsewhere in Europe, Klitschko said, expressing the hope that "everyone understands this." How the war ended would determine the future safety and security of all of Europe, he said. Klitschko, mayor of the Ukrainian capital since 2014, also gave his thanks for Germany's military and financial support, while stressing the need for strict sanctions on Russia, primarily in the areas of energy and finance. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Kiev's mayor stood for all those who had not lost faith in a free and democratic Ukraine, despite the war. "Klitschko has decided to accept responsibility – for his homeland, his brothers and sisters in Ukraine, for freedom and human rights. He is an example to all Ukrainians, to all of us," Pistorius said. "Vitali has fighting spirit. He does not give up," the German defence minister said. His courage, resilience and persistence merited the greatest respect and German gratitude, he said. The award honours Klitschko's tireless commitment to freedom, democracy and human rights both in Ukraine and beyond, according to the prize's organizers. Born in Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet Union, he was one of the most successful heavyweights ever. The prize, which is endowed with €10,000 ($11,350), is awarded every two years by the Wiesbaden-based Centre against Expulsions, which documents expulsions and ethnic cleansing. The most recent recipient was Romania's former president Klaus Iohannis in 2023.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko to receive German human rights award
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko is set to be honoured with the Franz Werfel Human Rights Award 2025 at a ceremony in Frankfurt on Sunday. The 53-year-old former world heavyweight boxer is to receive the prize in the German city's St Paul's Church at 12 pm (1000 GMT), with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius due to deliver the laudatory speech. The award honours Klitschko's tireless commitment to freedom, democracy and human rights both in Ukraine and beyond, according to the prize's organizers. The former professional boxer has served as mayor of the Ukrainian capital since 2014 and has been a prominent figure of defiance amid the continuing Russian invasion of the country. The prize, which is endowed with €10,000 ($11,350), is awarded every two years by the Wiesbaden-based Centre against Expulsions, which documents expulsions and ethnic cleansing. The most recent recipient was Romania's former president Klaus Iohannis in 2023.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Berlin offers Kiev another €5 billion
Berlin will provide Kiev with another €5 billion ($5.6 billion) in military aid on top of the €28 billion it has given since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in early 2022, the German Defense Ministry has announced. Moscow has stated in response that further assistance to Ukraine could precipitate the 'collapse' of Germany. The funds promised by Berlin would principally be used to 'finance the production of long-range weapon systems in Ukraine,' the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, who arrived in Berlin together with Vladimir Zelensky, signed a defense cooperation deal between the two countries. 'A significant number' of long-range weapon systems can be manufactured inside Ukraine this year, the statement read without specifying the types of arms. The first of those weapons could be deployed by Kiev against Russian forces 'in just a few weeks' as Ukrainian troops are already familiar with them and will not require additional training, it added. The €5 billion would also cover German deliveries of ammunition, including for air defense systems, small arms and medical equipment, the ministry said. During a joint press conference with Zelensky on Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Berlin and Kiev 'want to ensure joint production' of long-range armaments, but declined to reveal any details. There will be no range restrictions on the weapons and Kiev will be allowed to attack targets outside its own territory, he stressed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacted to Merz's statement by saying that Berlin's 'direct involvement in the war is now obvious.' 'Germany is sliding down the same slippery slope it already followed a couple of times in the last century – down toward its own collapse,' Lavrov stressed, referring to the defeats suffered by the country in the First and Second World wars. Moscow has repeatedly insisted that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine will not stop it from reaching its military objectives, but will only prolong the conflict and raise the risk of a confrontation with NATO. The Kremlin warned that the latest 'provocative actions' by EU states could derail the US-brokered diplomatic process between Russia and Ukraine, which restarted last month after a three-year break.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Germany commits €5bn to Ukraine for weapons and air defence
German Defence Ministers Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umierov have signed an agreement in Berlin to finance the production of long-range weapons in Ukraine as part of a broader support package totalling approximately €5 billion. Source: German Defence Ministry, as reported by European Pravda Details: Umierov visited Berlin as part of a Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which several key agreements were reached. Germany will fund the production of long-range weapons in Ukraine, with the first systems expected to be delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the coming weeks. These systems are already in service, allowing immediate deployment without additional training. The German Ministry of Defence noted that a significant number of weapons systems could be produced in 2025, though details were not disclosed. Germany will also continue to supply artillery shells, air defence systems, ground weapons and small arms. A contract was signed with the German defence company Diehl for the supply of air defence systems and related munitions. Germany plans to invest in repair infrastructure, including the establishment of repair facilities in Ukraine through a joint venture between Ukrainian and German defence companies. Support will also be provided in the fields of communications and medicine. "These measures to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine amount to approximately €5 billion. The funds are drawn from the budget already approved by the Bundestag," the German Ministry of Defence stated. Background: On Wednesday 28 May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced an expansion of military assistance to Ukraine but provided limited details, reflecting a new policy of restricted information about military support to Kyiv. Merz also vowed to do everything to prevent the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from operating. Merz also said that Russia's behaviour in negotiations over the Russo-Ukrainian war indicates the Kremlin's desire to stall rather than to reach a real peace agreement. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Local Germany
6 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Military service 'could be made mandatory' says German Defence Minister
In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) on Sunday, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius discussed the likelihood of reintroducing compulsory military service in Germany. Pistorius, who was also defence minister in Germany's previous traffic light coalition, said the new government was currently working on a compulsory military service law, and added that he hoped the legislation would come into force in January 2026. Speaking just a few days after the permanent deployment of a German tank brigade in Lithuania , which represents Germany's biggest foreign military mission since World War II, Pistorius said, 'Our model is initially based on voluntary participation." He added, "If the time comes when we have more capacity available than voluntary registrations, a decision may be made to make recruitment mandatory. That is the roadmap." How will conscription be rolled out? Under current plans, compulsory questionnaires would be sent to all German men and women when they turn 18. The questionnaire is intended to collect information on all citizens of military age, allowing the state to decide who should be called up (and in what order) in the event of a military emergency. It will be mandatory for men to complete the questionnaire and register on a new military registration database, whereas participation for women will be voluntary. The government estimates that around 400,000 young people will submit their information each year – and that as many as 40,000 will voluntarily sign up each year for a period of military service (from a minimum of six months up to 23 months). Provided they fall into the right age bracket, newly naturalised Germans and foreign dual citizens will also be included in the military service scheme. READ ALSO: What will Germany's new military service look like - and who will it include? Advertisement Will Germany reintroduce compulsory military service? Compulsory military service was scrapped in Germany in 2011. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, however, the country has been attempting to boost both its defence spending and capabilities. To meet its obligations as part of the NATO alliance, Germany needs to add around 100,000 soldiers to the Bundeswehr. In the lead-up to their coalition negotiations with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the conservative Union parties (CDU/CSU) were openly in favour of reintroducing military conscription in Germany. Defence Minister Pistorius (SPD) had advocated in favour of a voluntary system. Now, his comments suggest he fears a voluntary system may not be enough to supply the army with an adequate number of new recruits: 'If the time comes when we have more capacity than voluntary enlistments, then a decision may be made to make military service compulsory.' From a legal point of view, reintroducing conscription would be relatively straightforward, as Germany's old universal conscription law was deactivated, rather than removed from the constitution, in 2011. As it stands, the law only applies to men. A decision to conscript women would require a two-thirds majority in a vote in the Bundestag.
