10:19
Europe “will do everything” to “help Ukraine win this war”, says Ursula von der Leyen
“Europe will do everything in its power to help Ukraine win this war”, declared the President of the European Commission this Friday, during an address to the Ukrainian parliament, “and we will not have rest until you win”. She also hailed the “courageous” response of the Ukrainian population.
10:15
Russia ‘stands for unconditional respect for international law’, says Sergei Lavrov
During a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured that “we defend unconditional respect for international law”. A statement that sounds strange as Russia has been accused for several months now of violating international law in its invasion of Ukraine.
“We will maintain this position with our Belarusian allies and our many other like-minded partners who share these approaches,” he said.
9:48
The telephone exchange between Macron and Putin, four days before the start of the war in Ukraine
On February 20, 2022, four days before the start of the war in Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron spoke with Vladimir Putin on the phone. They notably spoke about the situation in Donbass, where pro-Russian separatists have opposed the Ukrainian government since 2014.
“The texts of laws are proposed by separatist groups and not by the democratically elected authorities”, launched Emmanuel Macron to his Russian counterpart. “It’s not a democratically elected government, they came to power through a bloody coup,” replied Vladimir Putin, who deplored the lack of dialogue on the side of kyiv.
The exchange ends with an agreement for a meeting with US President Joe Biden, before Vladimir Putin hangs up. “To hide nothing from you, I wanted to go play ice hockey, because here I’m talking to you from the gym,” he says to Emmanuel Macron.
9:32
18 dead in Odessa after Russian strikes
The toll of strikes in Odessa increased further on Friday morning. “At least 18 people died” in the Russian bombardments on the Ukrainian city, declares the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The previous toll reported 17 dead.
9:09
“A total madness”: a Ukrainian soldier recounts his evacuation from the Azovstal factory under fire
Giorgi Kouparashvili is a soldier of the Azov regiment. Hit by two bullets in the abdomen, he had to be evacuated from the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, where he was entrenched while the Russians took the area. “We were taken around 4 a.m., the difficulty was getting to the landing zone, because even at night, Russian aircraft were flying over and bombarding Azovstal,” he told BFMTV. .
“It took us more than an hour to cover 2km, we had to hide, take shelter very quickly, it was very dangerous”, he recalls. On the departure area, the soldiers present exchanged fire with the Russians, because “the helicopter had to be protected in order to be able to embark and evacuate the wounded soldiers”.
The takeoff is done under the bombardments and the exchanges of fire around. “This evacuation was total madness. I have lived through many wars, many operations, but such madness was the first time,” explains the soldier.
8:57
EU calls on Ukraine to speed up anti-corruption reforms
Several upgrades are necessary to integrate the European Union. Ukraine, an official candidate, must in particular accelerate reforms against corruption, said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, on Friday. She praised the reforms already carried out and the institutions put in place to create “an impressive anti-corruption machine”, but “now these institutions need the means of action and the right people in positions of responsibility”, she said. she felt.
“The road is long for Ukraine, but Europe will be with you every step of the way”, she said, “for every reform, for as long as it takes”.
8:48
Ukrainian refugees at Hindu temple on Northern Irish island
In the middle of the calm waters of Lake Erne in Northern Ireland, the island of Inish Rath is home to a temple of the Hare Krishna community that has become a sanctuary for Ukrainian worshipers who fled the martyr city of Mariupol after the Russian invasion. They are members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Ukraine.
“The attention of the faithful, of the people who live nearby, the atmosphere in the temple…provide spiritual protection,” said Ruskin Khabibullin, a member of this movement, a refugee with his wife and 14-year-old son on the ‘island.
This spiritual movement is a branch of Hinduism. Founded in the 1960s, it quickly spread to Eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union and boasts one million members worldwide.
8:44
Odessa death toll rises to 17
At least 17 people were killed in strikes on buildings in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine, according to kyiv. A previous toll reported 14 dead. A missile fired by a “strategic aircraft” from the Black Sea left “14 dead and 30 injured, including three children”, according to the latest report from the Ukrainian emergency services.
Another missile, fired by the same plane, hit two other buildings nearby, killing “three people, including a child”, added the rescuers. Rescue operations, complicated by a fire, are continuing.
5:48
Strike near Odessa: death toll rises to 14
At least fourteen people were killed in a missile attack on a building in the Odessa region, in southern Ukraine, fired by a “strategic aircraft” from the Black Sea according to kyiv, when the army Ukraine has just taken back from the Russians a strategic island for the control of maritime routes.
At least 30 people were injured, including three children, according to Ukrainian authorities. A previous toll reported ten dead. A missile fired by a “strategic aircraft” from the Black Sea left “14 dead and 30 injured, including three children”, according to the latest report from the Ukrainian emergency services.
4:21
kyiv has started to export electricity to the European Union
Ukraine has started to export electricity in a “significant” way to the European Union, via Romania, President Volodymyr Zekensky announced Thursday evening.
“An important step in our rapprochement with the European Union was taken” on Thursday, said the President of Ukraine, whose candidacy for the EU was endorsed last week by the Twenty-Seven.
kyiv “has started to significantly export electricity to EU territory, to Romania”, he said in a video address, and “this is only a first step”.
4:09
Ten dead in missile attack on Odessa region
Ten people were killed in a missile attack on the Odessa region in southern Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official announced overnight from Thursday to Friday.
“The death toll in an apartment building has risen to ten,” Odessa region administration spokesman Serguiy Bratchouk said.
4:09
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Welcome to this direct dedicated to the follow-up of the war in Ukraine.