The G7 promised, Saturday February 24, the anniversary of the Russian invasion, to “raise (in Moscow) the cost of the war” in Ukraine, following a virtual summit during which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged its allies to provide military aid in “time” to its weakened country as it enters a third year of war.
“We will continue to increase the cost of war (for Russia), reduce its sources of revenue and hinder its efforts to build its war machine, as demonstrated by the sanctions packages we recently adopted. “, said the G7 leaders in a joint statement. kyiv’s allies also denounced the aid provided by Tehran, Beijing and Pyongyang to Moscow, and promised to “act against third party actors who materially support Russia’s war.”
Demonstrations in support of Ukraine across Europe
Thousands of people demonstrated in France and Europe on Saturday to show their support for Ukraine, two years after the total invasion of the country by Moscow’s troops.
In Paris, a few thousand people strolled between the Places de la République and the Bastille, in an imposing calm, sometimes interrupted by “Assassin of Putin!” » » or a “Russia out of Ukraine!” » ».
New bilateral agreements with Ukraine
Faced with the needs of his country and its army, Mr. Zelensky continued to consolidate his alliances by signing bilateral security agreements with Canada and Italy on Saturday, as he has already done with several European countries, like Germany or France. Canada will provide kyiv with financial and military aid of approximately $2.2 billion in 2024.
Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union (EU) would pay 4.5 billion euros to kyiv in March, the first tranche of an envelope of 50 billion euros approved in February by the Twenty-Seven. During a meeting with the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, head of European diplomacy, Joseph Borrell, reaffirmed the full solidarity of the EU with Ukraine. The EU had promised to supply Kiev with one million shells over the past year, but is expected to reach just over half of that target by next month.
Celebrations of Russian Power; the opposition decimated
Faced with Ukraine’s difficulties, Russia prides itself on increasing its attacks on the front and claims successes, notably the capture of the fortress town of Avdiïvka on February 17. “The advantage is on our side” declared Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a visit to his troops, according to a press release published on Saturday.
In Russia, Vladimir Putin once again saluted his “hero” who fights Ukraine. Some 500,000 men have signed up in 2023 and around 50,000 more in January this year alone.
Three weeks before the Russian presidential election in mid-March, Mr. Putin’s grip on power seems more complete than ever. On Saturday in Moscow, police made several arrests, including journalists, during a gathering of wives of mobilized soldiers demanding their return from Ukraine.
Ukraine calls for strike against large Russian steel plant in west of country
Ukraine on Saturday claimed responsibility for a drone strike against one of Russia’s largest steel mills. Russian authorities, for their part, reported a fire at the Novolipetsk steel plant (NLMK), in the western region of Lipetsk.
This article is originally published on nouvelles-dujour.com
