China is in a bit of a pickle as the ambassador in France gave an interview and has said that former Soviet states could not reply on international laws to defend their sovereignty, which led to the Chinese ambassador being called to several other embassies such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to clarify the Chinese position. It took several days before China made a statement that the ambassador did not represent Chinese views and was expressing a personal opinion.
This is an example of how we know what the Chinese really think versus what they are saying in public, hence why it is likely they will support Russia but can’t admit to it. Other EU countries condemned the remarks which are to be discussed in a subsequent EU meeting.
As all countries must choose a side at some point, Ukraine reminds them that a peaceful settlement to the Russians means Ukraine admitting defeat, surrendering, and permitting annexed regions to become Russian. One cannot have peaceful negotiations with an aggressor who is trying to kill them and who intend to destroy an entire race.
Day 423 (22 April)
Latvia has said it will send Ukraine all its Stinger defence systems after attending the Ramstein meeting. While each day countries offer some weapons, it is not enough and more is needed to defeat the Russians once and for all.
Ukraine is to have closer ties with NATO and will cooperate with NSPA, NATO’s procurement agency, which will coordinate the weapons Ukraine requests and needs to win the war.
The US is to train Ukrainian soldiers to use Abrams tanks, but the tanks won’t be delivered until September.
More Russian collaborators are being exposed and arrested by the Security Services. This is important as these people have probably been assisting for years, and for Ukraine to win, these traitors need to be outed and imprisoned. Another collaborator who was a former prosecutor has been detained under suspicion of providing Russians with the location of HIMARS. He was fired from the prosecutor’s office and was then recruited by the Russian FSB.
The EU ammunition procurement aims to produce 1 million artillery shells within the year, and Slovenia has agreed to join the program.
The Chinese ambassador (Lu Shaye) in France claimed that Crimea was Russian at the beginning and that former Soviet states have no status under international law. What he appeared to be saying was that countries such as Estonia, Ukraine, and Lithuania don’t exist as sovereign states, and furthers the Russian propaganda. A few days later, China has distanced themselves over the comments claiming that it was a personal option and did not reflect the Chinese position.
Jack Teixeira, the Pentagon leaker is said to have been sharing classified documents two days after the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
A prisoner swap was made—one Moscow Patriarchate priest (convicted of collaboration) for 28 Ukrainian POWs.
Day 424 (23 April)
Zelenskyy signed a new law that condemns all Russian toponyms, which means that Russian street names and monuments will be replaced to decolonise Ukraine.
Cyprus has frozen the bank accounts of 13 people who have allegedly assisted Russians to bypass sanctions.
After the Ramstein meeting, Ukraine has again requested more weapons and military aid. They state they need 10 times what has been offered so far in order to be in a position to defeat the Russians.
Germany has said that the time is it right for Ukraine to join NATO, and France has already stated that they hold some of the views. However, other countries such as Poland have stated that if Germany had not objected to Ukraine's membership in 2008, then this war may have been prevented.
The Wagner group have stated that they will no longer take prisoners of war and will kill any Ukrainians instead.
Day 425 (24 April)
Russia drops guided bombs in Kherson, and it seems that they are seeking to reoccupy the city.
China distances itself from the ambassador in France ( Lu Shay) where he claimed that former Soviet states were questionable as independent or sovereign states. China issued a statement to say that it respected the sovereignty of all post-Soviet states, their sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and rejected Lu’s comments and said they did not represent China’s position.
The Council of the European Union now has contractual relations with Ukraine that will enable EU members to recognise and enforce Ukrainian court decisions. Ukraine in turn will do the same under the Hague Convention recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements in civil or commercial matters. This means that Ukraine is forming closer optical ties with the EU by sharing a judicial system and the precedents
Iran has been shipping weapons to Russia through the Caspian Sea for more than 6 months. Among the cargo were shells on a Russian cargo ship, where more than 300,000 have been exported to Russia by sea.
The Czech, Polish, and Slovakian Prime Ministers have jointly supported a motion to provide Ukraine with security guarantees before it joins NATO. the problem is whether it is enforceable and will it be enough to keep the Russians out of Ukraine?
The Estonian Prime Minister (Kaja Kallas) visited Kyiv and signed a joint declaration affirming their support to Ukraine. She reiterated that Ukraine must join NATO for there to be peace in Europe. https://www.valitsus.ee/en/news/joint-declaration-president-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-and-prime-minister-estonia-kaja-kallas
We condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. It has undermined the foundation of the international rules-based order and the security and stability of Europe. The sacrifice of the Ukrainian people for their European choice is unprecedented. Ukraine is not only defending its territory but also the UN Charter, our shared values and the core principles of international law. We underline Ukraine’s sovereign decision on the peace process. Estonia expresses its strong support for Ukraine’s Peace Formula.
We reaffirm our support for the principles of international law, the inviolability of borders and the right of every state to choose its own path and security arrangements. We reiterate our demand that the Russian Federation immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
We agree that a strong, independent and prosperous Ukraine, as part of the Euro-Atlantic family and as a member of the EU and NATO, is essential for the future of European security. The European Union and NATO, based on common values, must remain the cornerstone of security in Europe. We note the support of the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians for Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and NATO and that the Constitution of Ukraine defines acquiring full-fledged membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a strategic course of the state.
In the context of the NATO Vilnius Summit, we agree to work together to establish a path that will help bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership and pave the way for Ukraine to join NATO as soon as conditions allow. We commit to coordinating closely on this matter and to ensuring Ukraine´s security while on a path towards NATO membership.
We reiterate the importance of the historic decision by the European Union adopted on 23 June 2022 to grant EU candidate country status to Ukraine. Estonia reaffirms its strong support for Ukraine’s membership in the EU and welcomes the impressive reform progress achieved by Ukraine on implementing the recommendations of the European Commission. Estonia looks forward to Ukraine starting accession negotiations in 2023, provided that the recommendations are fulfilled.
Estonia will continue to strongly support Ukraine – militarily, economically and politically – for as long as it takes, until Ukraine’s victory. Estonia will continue to promote effective military aid to Ukraine, including through the European Peace Facility.
We commend the extensive bilateral relations between Ukraine and Estonia that have grown even stronger in the last year and commit to further deepening our relationship in all spheres of joint interest. We take note of the great economical potential of Ukraine. Reconstruction and reforms offer opportunities to transform the economy and unlock its potential. We emphasize the importance of Ukraine’s consistent efforts to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian program aimed at enhancing global food security. We underscored the importance of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes covering trade across all sectors and connecting Ukraine with the EU and the rest of the world.
Ukraine emphasizes the importance of the support provided by Estonia, including efforts made by the government, municipalities, civil society and NGOs, to help Ukraine withstand the Russian aggression and to assist with reconstruction and rapid recovery, notably, in the Zhytomyr region. We recognize the importance of digital development and the strengthening of cyber capabilities and commit to continuing to develop the already intensive cooperation in these fields.
We underline our firm commitment to bringing to justice those responsible for war crimes and other atrocity crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. We welcome the arrest warrants of the International Criminal Court. We see this as the beginning of the process of accountability and of holding Russian leaders to account for the crimes and atrocities they are ordering, enabling or committing in Ukraine.
The crime of aggression is at the origin of all the other crimes committed in Ukraine. We support the establishment of an international special tribunal for the crime of aggression with broad international support, since it provides maximum legitimacy while ensuring the prosecution of the political leadership.
Together with our closest partners, we continue to seek ways to raise the cost for Russia, including by adopting new EU sanctions packages as well as strong and comprehensive anti-circumvention measures to tackle Russia’s evasion of sanctions. We will jointly pursue work to establish a legal basis for the use of frozen and immobilized Russian assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and for the purposes of reparation.
We commit to coordinating closely on all these matters further by intensifying bilateral consultations.
Signed in duplicate in Zhytomyr on 24 April 2023 in English.
The CBC is reporting Canada's highly trained RCMP Intelligence Officers are involved in the documenting of evidence of war crimes.