Keystone-SDA
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June 11, 2024 – 6:29 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) Most of the deputies of the far-right German party AfD as well as the elected representatives of a left-wing sovereignist party boycotted on Tuesday the speech before the Bundestag by Volodymyr Zelensky, who was concerned about the echo of pro-Russian rhetoric in Europe .
When he ascended to the lectern of the lower house of the German Parliament to applause, the Ukrainian president found himself facing the seats left empty by almost all of the 77 deputies of the far-right German AfD party. Only four elected officials took their place on the benches of the hemicycle.
Same choice of boycott on the side of the 10 deputies of the radical left party BSW, recently created by a figure of the German political scene Sahra Wagenknecht on a sovereignist line.
The two parties accepted their decision: “We refuse to listen to a speaker in camouflage,” the AfD leadership explained in a statement, believing that “Ukraine does not need a president of war but a president of peace”. For these two parties, Sunday’s European elections were a success.
“Missile Terror” –
Visiting Berlin on the occasion of an international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern about the electoral success of groups “with radical pro-Russian slogans”.
It is “dangerous for your countries”, he said during a press conference alongside Olaf Scholz. He also called on his country’s allies to increase their air defense aid.
“It is the terror of missiles and bombs that helps Russian troops advance on the ground,” Mr. Zelensky told a panel of senior European officials.
“As long as we do not deprive Russia of the possibility of terrorizing Ukraine, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will have no real interest in seeking a fair peace,” he argued, swearing that “the defense air is the answer.”
Switzerland in Berlin
The Ukrainian leader’s diplomatic agenda is busy with a trip to Italy for the G7 leaders’ summit on Thursday then the “Conference on Peace in Ukraine” which will bring together more than 90 countries and organizations, but not Russia, on Saturday and Sunday in Switzerland. nor China.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba both wrote about meeting in Berlin to discuss the latest preparations. The minister of
The federal councilor was in fact present in Berlin on Tuesday to represent Switzerland. While one of the aims of the conference is to discuss how to further involve the private sector to stimulate growth in Ukraine, Swiss companies also made the trip, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said in a statement.
Concerning the rest of the program, the Directorate for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will present Swiss expertise in humanitarian demining and the challenges in this area in Ukraine during a panel on Wednesday. In addition, Switzerland participated on Monday as an observer in a meeting of the steering committee of a donor coordination platform for Ukraine initiated by the EU and the G7 countries, the FDFA said.
No “dictated peace”
Olaf Scholz reaffirmed that there would be “no military victory, nor peace dictated” by Vladimir Putin. “Promoting this awareness is the challenge of the peace summit which will meet this weekend in Switzerland,” declared the leader. Energy security and the restoration of the Ukrainian electricity grid will also be at the center of discussions in Switzerland.
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russian bombing of energy infrastructure had led to Ukraine’s electricity production being halved since the winter.
According to him, 80% of thermal production and a third of hydroelectric production were destroyed by Russian strikes, which in recent months targeted numerous Ukrainian power plants, after a bombing campaign the previous year which had already led to massive cuts.
As a result of the Russian strikes, the national operator Ukrenergo announced on Tuesday to extend power rationing across the country, with restrictions planned from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
