German Chancellor Olaf Scholz passes under the gun barrel of a Leopard 2 tank during a media presentation for the annual Land Operation Exercise of the German armed forces Bundeswehr in Bergen, northern Germany, 17 October 2022. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Freidemann Vogel) WEAPONS AND DIPLOMACY
- Germany's approval for the re-export of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is of secondary importance as Poland could send those tanks as part of a coalition of countries even without its permission, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday.
- European foreign ministers, meeting on Monday to discuss aid to Ukraine, pressed Berlin to let countries send German-made Leopard tanks, after Germany appeared to open the door to such shipments by allies.
- Russia and Estonia downgraded their diplomatic relations and expelled each other's ambassadors after Moscow accused Tallinn of anti-Russian policies. Latvia also expelled Russia's ambassador in solidarity with Estonia.
- Sweden should not expect Turkey's support for its Nato membership after a protest near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm at the weekend including the burning of a copy of the Koran, said President Tayyip Erdoğan.
FIGHTING
- Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces were improving their positions in Zaporizhzhia region, a southern part of Ukraine.
- The top Russian-installed official in the occupied parts of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine said he had visited the town of Soledar that Russia claimed to had captured earlier this month.
- Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
UKRAINE ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURES
- A top ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said corrupt officials would be "actively" jailed, setting out a zero-tolerance approach after the most high-profile graft allegations since Russia's invasion came to light.
(Compiled by William Maclean, Frances Kerry, Peter Graff; Editing by Robert Birsel.)