The United Nations is urging Russia to release blocked grain stocks from Ukraine because of rising world hunger. “Russia must allow the safe export of grain stored in Ukrainian ports,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at a foreign ministers’ meeting in New York. The war Russia started threatens to plunge tens of millions into food insecurity and trigger a crisis “that could last for years”.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continued on Thursday night.
The situation at a glance:
In view of the planned NATO accession of Sweden and Finland, the Ukrainian ambassador in Germany, Andriy Melnyk, considers his country’s NATO accession to be feasible. “One thing is clear: we want to join NATO quickly. This can happen just as quickly as in the case of Sweden or Finland. It would only take a purely political decision to quickly integrate Ukraine into the alliance,” Melnyk told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “If Ukraine were in the alliance, the risk of a nuclear war would decrease. Then Putin would know: If Ukraine were attacked with nuclear weapons, he would have to reckon with a nuclear retaliation. That would deter him.” Melnyk also believes that Ukraine’s EU membership is possible within the next ten years Finnish President Sauli Niniistö. Finland and Sweden have been cooperating with the western defense alliance for a long time and have decided to join under the impression of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Before admission, however, Turkey’s concerns must be dispelled, which does not suit the Kurdish policy of the Nordic countries.
