Latest news with #Melnyk
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian envoy hails Merz for keeping extent of military aid secret
Ukraine's ambassador to Germany has praised the country's new leader for keeping the extent of weapons deliveries for Kiev under wraps, in what is seen as an attempt to create "strategic ambiguity" aimed at leaving Russia in the dark about Ukraine's capabilities. After taking office last week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to stop detailed publications of arms deliveries to Ukraine, including exact quantities. Merz's predecessor Olaf Scholz pursued the same practice in the first months of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022, but his administration later succumbed to public pressure and began publishing a detailed list of the shipments online in June that year. It was last updated on May 6, the day the new government took office in Berlin. Merz, at the time the conservative opposition leader, sharply criticized the practice of keeping the details of arms shipments under wraps. "We are being kept in suspense, there are excuses, there is no precise information about what Germany is actually supplying," he told broadcasters RTL and n-tv at the time, pledging he would "inform the public better" if he was elected chancellor. "A good chess player thinks several moves ahead. What he doesn't do is predict these moves to his opponent," Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev told dpa, welcoming Merz's change of course. Makeiev's predecessor Andriy Melnyk, on the other hand, criticized Merz for his u-turn, calling the approach a "very strange" practice that brought back "bad memories" of Scholz's centre-left administration which Melnyk claimed sought to mask restraint in arms deliveries by secrecy. Melnyk argued that publishing the exact extent of the military aid would send a strong signal to Russia and have a preventative effect.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sumy Oblast authorities urge residents of two border towns to evacuate immediately
Residents of the towns of Bilopillia and Vorozhba, located near the Russian border in Sumy Oblast, were urged to evacuate urgently on 5 May. Source: Mykhailo Melnyk, Head of Sumy District State Administration, on Facebook Quote: "I urge the residents of Bilopillia and Vorozhba to evacuate to a safe place immediately! Evacuation buses leave every morning at 08:00." Details: Melnyk added that it is possible to register for evacuation at any time of day. Border area of Sumy Oblast on the map. Background: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that claims by the senior Russian command regarding the alleged end of hostilities in Russia's Kursk Oblast are false. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian troops continue to conduct active defensive operations in Russia's Kursk and Belgorod oblasts. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that the operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast, ongoing for nine months, had achieved most of its objectives and the buffer zone established by Ukrainian forces remains relevant. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukrainian diplomat urges Merz to deliver Taurus missiles to Kyiv, lead Europe in ending Russia's war
Ukrainian diplomat Andrii Melnyk has called on Germany's incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to fulfill his campaign promise and immediately deliver 150 Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, alongside a broader set of decisive actions to stop Russia's full-scale war. "Germany, of all places, has a decisive role to play in stopping murder and bringing about a just peace," Melnyk wrote in a letter published in German by Die Welt, a national daily newspaper. "Not only does the future of the Federal Republic depend on your success as chancellor, but also the fate of Ukraine — and the whole of Europe." Andrii Melnyk served as Ukraine's ambassador to Germany from December 2014 to October 2022, then as Deputy Foreign Minister, and since June 20, 2023, he has been Ukraine's ambassador to Brazil. In the letter, published shortly before Easter, Melnyk outlined five steps Merz should take during his first 100 days in office. First, he proposed a coalition decision to allocate 0.5% of Germany's GDP annually — around 21.5 billion euros ($24.5 billion) per year, or 86 billion euros ($98 billion) by 2029 — for arms supplies to Ukraine. The funding, he said, should go toward the production of advanced weapons in both Germany and Ukraine, calling it "a huge investment in Germany's security." Read also: 'Today we will pledge billions' for Ukraine — allies begin Ramstein-format meeting in Brussels Melnyk also called for the same 0.5% commitment to be adopted at the EU and G7 levels, excluding the United States. He said the resulting 550-billion-euro ($622 billion) investment in Ukraine's defense over the next four years would send a powerful message to Moscow. "This mega-commitment… would be a huge warning signal to Putin that you, Mr. Merz, and our allies are serious about Ukraine's aid," he wrote. "This will impress Putin." One of the most urgent demands in the letter is the immediate announcement and implementation of Taurus missile deliveries. "This election promise must be fulfilled, despite the expected resistance from the (Social Democratic Party) SPD," Melnyk wrote, adding that Germany does not need "coordination with partners" or to issue ultimatums to the Kremlin. The outgoing German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has repeatedly blocked the delivery of Taurus missiles over his concerns about escalation. Merz has been critical of this position and advocated for Ukraine's ability to strike strategically. In an interview on April 13, Merz also suggested that the long-range missiles, if supplied to Ukraine, could be used to target strategic Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea. The Telegraph reported on April 16 that the U.K. would support a potential German decision to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine. "These inferno weapons should simply be delivered, without 'ifs' and 'buts', to stop the creeping advance of the Russians and change the current war dynamics at its core," Melnyk wrote, according to the Welt. The letter also proposes transferring 30% of Germany's available fighter jets, helicopters, and armored vehicles to Ukraine and adopting a lend-lease-style law to enable swift deliveries. Melnyk concluded by urging Merz to push to confiscate 200 billion euros in frozen Russian assets and use the funds for Ukraine's reconstruction. Read also: As Trump mulls cuts, NATO's integrity is on the line We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian diplomat urges Merz to approve missile delivery on day one
The former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrii Melnyk, is urging Germany's incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz to immediately authorize the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. In an open letter published by the Welt newspaper on Saturday, Melnyk called on Merz to announce a shipment of 150 Taurus missiles in the Bundestag on May 6, the day he is set to be elected chancellor by lawmakers, and to ensure their swift delivery. Melnyk, who is to become Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations in New York, described the delivery as essential to halting Russia's advance and shifting the dynamics of the war. The weapons should be delivered, "without ifs and buts," he wrote, adding that consultations with partners or ultimatums to Russian President Vladimir Putin were unnecessary. The German Air Force has operated the Taurus system since 2005. Each missile costs approximately €1 million ($1.1 million). Merz, who leads the centre-right Christian Democrats, has said he supports supplying the long-range missiles to Ukraine but maintains that any such move would require coordination with European allies. But Melnyk went beyond just the missiles, urging Merz's future government to provide 30% of the German Air Force's inventory to Ukraine — including around 45 Eurofighter jets and 30 Tornado aircraft — to maximize the effectiveness of the Taurus system. In his letter, Melnyk appealed to Merz's sense of historical responsibility: "Not only does the future of Germany depend on your success as chancellor, but also the fate of Ukraine — and of all of Europe," he wrote. Merz, he added, has a "historic opportunity to make Germany the most important beacon of the free democratic world." Centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz, now serving in a caretaker role, consistently ruled out sending Taurus missiles, citing fears that it could drag Germany further into the conflict. The Taurus missile, with a reported range of up to 500 kilometres, could allow Ukraine to strike military targets far behind the front line, including within Russian territory. The US has supplied Ukraine with ATACMS missiles, which have a range up to 300 kilometres, while France and the UK have delivered cruise missiles with ranges of around 250 kilometres.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian Shahed drone attack agricultural business in Sumy Oblast, causing fire
A fire has broken out at premises belonging to an agricultural business as a result of a Russian drone attack on Sumy Oblast. Source: Mykhailo Melnyk, Head of Sumy District Military Administration, on Facebook Quote: "The enemy attacked one of the agricultural businesses in the Sad hromada with Shahed kamikaze drones at around 02:00. The fire was promptly extinguished." [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.] Details: Melnyk said no casualties had been recorded, but agricultural machinery and office buildings had been damaged. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
