EU Commission President von der Leyen travels by train to Kyiv for talks. According to its president, Finland is regarding to join NATO. The developments in the live blog.
06:05 a.m
Ukraine: No more Russian soldiers in Sumy
According to Ukrainian sources, there are no longer any Russian troops in the north-eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy. The territory of the Sumy region is free of Russian units, said the head of the Sumy region administration, Dmytro Shyvytskyi. If people hear explosions, it is because rescue workers and explosives experts are neutralizing ammunition left behind by Russian units. Zhyvytskyi warned people that the region was not yet safe. There are still many mined areas that have not been searched for dangers. People should not drive on the side of the road, not use forest paths and not approach destroyed military equipment.
conflicting parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body.
4/7/2022 • 11:15 p.m
Departed from Leyen to Kyiv
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took the train from south-eastern Poland to Kyiv. In the Ukrainian capital, she wants to meet, among others, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Former Federal Defense Minister von der Leyen is accompanied by a delegation that also includes EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger and several EU parliamentarians.
Von der Leyen set out from the small town of Przemysl just 13 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Thousands of refugees still arrive there every day in the European Union, at peak times it was sometimes more than 100,000 a day. The airspace over Ukraine is closed because of the war.
Von der Leyen is the first top Western politician to visit Ukraine since the war atrocities in the Kiev suburb of Bucha became known. In mid-March, the heads of government of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic were in Kyiv to show solidarity. Last week, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, visited the Ukrainian capital.
4:43 a.m
Canada increases aid to Ukraine
Canada has significantly increased financial support for Ukraine in the form of loans and military aid in its fight once morest Russia. Presenting the government’s new budget, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ukrainians are “fighting our fight – a fight for democracy.” That’s why it’s in Canada’s “urgent national interest to make sure they have the rockets and the money they need to win.”
The minister has earmarked additional credits of CAD 1 billion (EUR 730 million) and military aid of CAD 500 million (EUR 365 million) in the federal budget. The loans are intended to help stabilize Ukraine’s economy, which in turn “would support global financial stability by reducing the risk of Ukraine’s national bankruptcy”.
4:43 a.m
Finnish President expects to join NATO
According to its President Sauli Niinistö, Finland is regarding to apply for NATO membership. Niinistö told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that he was counting on a “huge parliamentary majority” for a corresponding application for membership. In the event of an application, he assumes that NATO will make a “rapid” decision.
According to Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, the decision on whether to apply for membership should be made before the NATO summit in Madrid in June. Parliament in Helsinki is scheduled to meet following Easter to discuss the issue.
Finland is an EU but not a NATO member. The Russian war of aggression once morest Ukraine has reignited the debate regarding a possible entry into the military alliance in Finland. Traditionally, most Finns are skeptical regarding joining NATO – but recent polls showed a majority in favor for the first time.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected in Helsinki today. According to the Office of the Federal President, the focus of the trip will be “the effects of the brutal Russian war of aggression in Ukraine on neighboring European countries”.
4:43 a.m
WHO: More than 100 health facilities attacked
The World Health Organization (WHO) has verified more than 100 “attacks on health care” in Ukraine since the invasion of the country began more than a month ago. At least 73 people were killed and 51 injured in at least 103 attacks on hospitals and other health facilities, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The number of victims includes both medical staff and patients. Tedros commended the United States for supporting international health efforts in Ukraine, including delivering more than 180 tons of medical supplies to the hard-hit areas. “We are outraged that attacks on health care (in Ukraine) continue,” he said.
