Zelenskyy to Germany: Tear down wall dividing free and unfree Europe

Zelenskyy to Germany: tear down wall dividing free and unfree Europe

Invoking the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to tear down what he called a wall between “free and unfree” Europe and stop the war in Ukraine. 

Speaking to the Bundestag by videolink, Zelenskiy appealed to Scholz to restore freedom to Ukraine, tapping Germany's collective memory with reference to the historic 1948-1949 Berlin Airlift and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. 

He described a new wall “in the middle of Europe between freedom and unfreedom.” 

Reports of any major progress in peace talks ‘wrong,’ says Kremlin (Bloomberg)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday dismissed reports of substantial progress in peace talks with Ukraine, blaming Kyiv for slowing the negotiations.“On the whole, that’s wrong,” he said when asked about a Financial Times report that the two sides had made major progress toward a deal. The account did include “some correct elements,” he said. “When there’s progress, we’ll tell you.” Peskov reiterated allegations that Ukraine is “in no rush” to make a deal, saying that Russian negotiators are ready to work around the clock.

UK’s top auction houses Christie's, Sotheby's cancel Russian art sale (Reuters)

Auction houses Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonhams have cancelled sales of Russian art in London in June, part of the art market's response to Western sanctions on Russia. The auction houses hold sales of Russian art in June and November in a period known as “Russian Art Week”, attracting wealthy Russian buyers. Sotheby's said it had called off its sale of Russian art in London in June. Christie's also said it had cancelled its June sale of Russian art, citing factors including the uncertainty of the war and complex logistical and legal requirements.