6:00 am: According to Biden, Putin is considering using chemical and biological weapons
US President Joe Biden said on Monday it was “clear” that Russia is considering using chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, warning that such a move would prompt a “tough” Western response.
“He’s got his back to the wall,” Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin, pointing out that Moscow recently accused the United States of possessing chemical and biological weapons in Europe. “It’s just wrong. I guarantee it,” he insisted during a meeting with US business leaders in Washington.
“They (the Russians) also claim that Ukraine has chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine. This is a clear sign that he (Vladimir Putin) plans to use these two types of weapons,” he said. he continued.
The American president thus reiterates a warning issued earlier this month after Russian officials accused Ukraine of trying to hide a supposed chemical weapons program supported by Washington.
“Now that Russia has issued its false accusations and China appears to be embracing this propaganda, we must monitor any possible Russian use of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine,” White House spokeswoman Jen warned. PSAKI on Twitter.
Joe Biden repeated on Monday that the use of such weapons would expose Moscow to “severe” retaliation from Western powers, without specifying their nature.
Vladimir Putin “knows that there will be severe consequences because of the united front of NATO”, he warned, without further details.
Mr. Biden also assured to have warned his Russian counterpart of a strong American response in the event of cyberattacks against the vital infrastructures of the United States.
“We had a long conversation about the consequences if he engaged” in cyberattacks, the American president said in reference to a summit with his Russian counterpart last year in Geneva.
5:30 am: Zelensky ready to discuss Donbass and Crimea with Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready on Monday to discuss with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “compromise” on Donbass and Crimea to “stop the war”.
Any compromise on these territories will however have to be ratified by Ukrainians in a referendum, and be accompanied by security guarantees for his country, he however warned. And he also warned that Ukraine will be “destroyed” before he surrenders.
4:30 a.m .: The UN General Assembly will meet on Wednesday to consider the conflict
The United Nations General Assembly will convene on Wednesday in a bid to reach a new resolution on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A draft resolution on the humanitarian consequences of the war is expected to gain broad support among the 193 UN members. It was likely, but still uncertain, that a vote would take place on Wednesday, diplomats said.
According to these sources, the objective is to reach at least 141 votes in favor of the document, as was the case for a previous resolution on this conflict, adopted by the general assembly earlier this month.
The draft of this new resolution, consulted by the dpa news agency, calls among other things for an immediate cessation of hostilities by Russia against Ukraine, in particular attacks targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure. The document also calls on Moscow to withdraw its armed forces from Ukraine immediately.
Another draft resolution has also been tabled by South Africa and does not mention Russian aggression. It is unclear whether this will be put to a vote.
4:00 am: Japan protests Moscow’s abandonment of peace talks with it
Japan on Tuesday “strongly” protested against Russia’s decision to abandon negotiations for a peace treaty between the two countries because, according to Moscow, of Tokyo’s “unfriendly position” on the conflict in Ukraine. “This situation is (in fact) the result of Russian aggression in Ukraine,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament in Tokyo.
“The (Russian) attempt to shift this issue to Japan-Russia relations is extremely unjustified and absolutely unacceptable,” he added.
03:25: EU meeting with agriculture minister interrupted by bomb threat
A video conference between EU agriculture ministers and their Ukrainian counterpart Roman Leshchenko quickly had to end due to a bomb threat in Ukraine. Mr Leshchenko was participating remotely in this meeting of ministers in Brussels when sirens sounded in the undisclosed location where the Ukrainian minister was, confirmed the French Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, whose country holds the rotating presidency. of the EU.
3 a.m.: France sends 55 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine
France on Monday sent 55 tonnes of medical equipment, computers, children’s milk and generators to Ukraine via Poland, the French Foreign Ministry announced.
2:12 am: The Pentagon denounces indiscriminate attacks against Ukrainian civilians
The Pentagon slammed Russia on Monday for “indiscriminate” attacks on Ukrainian civilians. “Whether it’s ballistic missiles or cruise missiles, artillery fire, they put terrible pressure on cities with heavy equipment to try to force them to surrender,” said US Defense spokesman John Kirby in Washington.
“And the result is more civilian casualties, more damage to residential areas, hospitals, schools, and innocent victims,” Kirby added. “In many ways, it’s largely indiscriminate,” the spokesperson continued. He said he could not comment on whether this was part of a Russian strategy.
This Monday, Mr. Biden and the leaders of France Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Boris Johnson, Germany’s Olaf Scholtz and Italy’s Mario Draghi spoke by videoconference, in particular, of the “critical humanitarian situation in Mariupol, and the urgency of obtaining unhindered access humanitarian aid,” Paris said.
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry estimated that President Biden had brought Russian-American relations “to the brink of rupture” by his “unworthy” statements targeting Vladimir Putin, whom he described as a “war criminal “. The American ambassador was summoned on Monday..
02:00: Mariupol refuses to capitulate
Ukraine will not “lay down its arms and leave the besieged city” of Mariupol (south), declared its deputy Prime Minister, ignoring a Russian ultimatum.
The European Union has denounced the indiscriminate destruction in the besieged city as a “major war crime” and decided to double its financial support for arms purchases sent to kyiv.
1:45 a.m .: Ukrainian counterintelligence claims to foil an assassination attempt on the president
Ukrainian counterintelligence claims to have foiled a possible assassination attempt on President Volodymyr Zelensky. A group of Russian saboteurs led by a secret service agent have been arrested in a town near Ukraine’s borders with Slovakia and Hungary, Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reports.
1:00 a.m .: Joe Biden judges India “hesitant” in its position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine
US President Joe Biden on Monday called India an exception among US allies due to its “hesitant” response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Biden praised the unity displayed by NATO, the European Union and key Asian partners in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Unprecedented sanctions were thus adopted to hit Russia in the wallet. However, unlike the other members of the “Quad” (Australia, Japan and the United States), India continues to buy Russian oil and has refused to join the votes condemning Moscow at the United Nations.
12:30 a.m.: Russian oligarch Abramovich’s yacht moored in Turkey
A yacht belonging to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has docked in southwestern Turkey, a country that does not apply Western sanctions against Russian oligarchs, including the owner of the Chelsea club.
00:01: Russia blocks the site of the French channel Euronews
The Russian media regulator on Monday blocked access to the site of the French channel Euronews, a new media banned in Russia amid increased control over information related to the offensive in Ukraine. The reason for this blocking was not specified.