9:15 p.m.: Merz wants to strengthen Ukraine for negotiations
According to the Union's candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Ukraine is not militarily strong enough to force Russia into serious negotiations. “I want Ukraine to be strong enough to end this war,” Merz told ARD Tagesthemen. This is currently not the case. “I think we should lift this so that Ukraine really has the opportunity to defend itself against the military attacks coming from Russia,” he added, referring to the federal government’s range restrictions for weapons supplied. Ukraine would also comply if it were given a limit on the use of Taurus cruise missiles. Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused a delivery. “There is already a majority in the German Bundestag for the use of this weapon system,” says Merz, alluding to the position of the Union, the Greens and the FDP.
5:45 p.m.: Ukraine factory meeting with European allies
Ukraine will hold a meeting with key European allies later this month. This is necessary to agree on a common position and to ensure that Ukraine is strong for any negotiations and on the battlefield, said a spokesman for President Volodymyr Zelensky. The final list of participants is not yet available.
In January, the Republican Donald Trump takes over the presidency in the USA. He has called for an immediate ceasefire. EU governments have expressed concern that he could arbitrarily negotiate a ceasefire and cede territory to Russia.
4:02 p.m.: Requirements met – Ukraine receives new EU billions
The Council of the European Union has approved the disbursement of around 4.1 billion euros in financial aid for Ukraine. As the representative of the member states in Brussels announced, this is the second regular payment from the EU's new support program. Like the first payment, it is linked to reform conditions.
According to the EU Commission, the reform steps initiated for the aid include additional capacities to combat corruption and a new law to prevent and monitor industrial-related environmental pollution. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of impressive progress in important reforms on the way to the EU.
3:50 p.m.: Zelenskyj open to stationing Western troops
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is open to stationing Western soldiers in his country to ensure security in efforts to end the war. However, Zelenskyj gave conditions for this in his Telegram channel: “But before that, we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the European Union and when Ukraine will be in NATO.”
The possibility of NATO membership for the country and the stationing of Western soldiers in Ukraine are controversial. At the NATO summit in Washington in July, the military alliance described Ukraine's path to NATO as irreversible. However, she did not extend an invitation to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron brought up the stationing of Western soldiers last February. But the idea has sparked concerns about possible escalation. Germany and Poland quietly announced that they would not send soldiers to Ukraine.
3:44 p.m.: Moscow – Bodies of prisoners of war who died in a plane crash handed over
Russia says it has handed over to Kiev the Ukrainian prisoners of war who died when a transport plane was shot down. “It happened, and I was there,” Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova told the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti. The coordination staff responsible for prisoner of war matters in Ukraine did not initially confirm the identities of the bodies. This requires expertise to await identification of the remains.
At the end of January, a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane was shot down, presumably by the Russian side, in the Belgorod border area. Moscow claimed that there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board for an exchange at the nearby border. Although Kieve confirmed the exchange planned for that day, it said the plane was used to transport anti-aircraft missiles and not prisoners of war.
2:01 p.m.: Merz informs Kiev about damage to infrastructure
In view of ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, CDU leader Friedrich Merz found out about the problems in supplying people with electricity and heat. Near the capital Kiev, the Union candidate for chancellor was shown a power plant that was damaged in a Russian missile attack in the spring. He was accompanied by Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
Merz began his solidarity visit to Kiev in the morning by honoring the soldiers who died in the fight to defend themselves against the Russian attack. Side by side with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, the CDU leader laid a wreath on the central St. Michael's Square in the capital Kiev. Merz then met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for consultations.
12:57 p.m.: Report – Russian advance is accelerating
The Russian advance in Ukraine accelerated in 2024. According to calculations by the Ukrainian Telegram channel UA War Infographics, Russian troops have conquered a good 2,800 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory since the beginning of the year – an area larger than Saarland. This means that the Russian terrain gains are already almost 20 times the previous year's value.
The pace of Russian advances has increased, especially since late summer. At the beginning of August, Ukrainian troops advanced into the Russian border region of Kursk. According to reports, the Ukrainian military leadership had withdrawn offensive troops from eastern Ukraine for these offensive troops, which made it easier for the Russian enemy to advance.
11:35 a.m.: Car bomb explodes in Donetsk
A car bomb kills one person and injures another in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. According to unconfirmed Russian media reports, the dead man was the former director of the Olenivka prison, Sergei Evsyukov. The injured person in the SUV was his wife. In July 2022, over 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war died in an explosion in the prison and several dozen were injured. At the time, Kyiv accused the Russian occupiers of deliberately murdering the prisoners.
8.30 a.m.: Merz spirited to Kyiv
Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz traveled to Ukraine to assure the Ukrainian government and people in Ukraine that the CDU/CSU parliamentary group is firmly at their side, as he said upon his arrival in Kiev. They want this terrible war to end as quickly as possible and peace in Europe to be saved. He also emphasized that, in his words, there is an urgent need to provide military support to Ukraine. They must be placed in a position where they can exercise their right to self-defense. Only if Ukraine is strong will Putin be willing to engage in negotiations.
Chancellor OIaf Scholz and Merz, like the Greens and the FDP, support military support for Ukraine. However, there is a dispute about the scope, financing and delivery of the Taurus cruise missile, which Scholz rejects, citing the range to Moscow. The Union has criticized the federal government's stance on arms deliveries in recent years as being too hesitant. They had also submitted proposals for the Taurus delivery to the Bundestag twice.
