As the second anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches, G7 member countries want to tighten sanctions against Moscow. The measures are expected to be announced on Saturday. Follow the latest news on the conflict.
00:38
February 22, 2024
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February 21, 2024
British council accused of espionage
The Russian secret service (FSB) accuses the British Council, the British educational and cultural authority, of spying for Ukraine. In a statement, the FSB assured that the British Council in Great Britain was collecting information “through organizations controlled by it” about the Ukrainian region of Kherson, which is partly occupied by Russian forces.
“Instances were identified in which this foreign organization used Ukrainian refugees living in the United Kingdom to obtain military and political information through its connections in the Kherson region,” the FSB alleges.
9:16 p.m
February 21, 2024
Russian opposition candidate's appeal rejected
Russian opponent Boris Nadeydine announced on social media that the Supreme Court had rejected his appeal against the refusal To his candidacy in the March presidential election that would see Vladimir Putin reappointed for a new term. He added that he would appeal the decision.
The candidacy of this discreet veteran of Russian political life, who campaigned for an end to the Russian offensive in Ukraine, was rejected by the Central Election Commission earlier this month on the grounds of irregular signatures.
8:19 p.m
February 21, 2024
THE LEADER OF THE BOSNIAN SERBS, DECORATED BY PUTIN
Bosnian Serb political leader Milorad Dodik, honored by Russian President Vladimir Putin for his contribution to “cooperation” between Russia and Bosnia, has vowed to prevent Bosnia from joining NATO. The Bosnian Serb leader, who regularly expresses his admiration for the Kremlin's master, is one of the few European politicians who continued to meet the Russian president after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
8:14 p.m
February 21, 2024
“THE UNACCEPTABLE PARALYSIS” OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
The head of Brazilian diplomacy criticized the “unacceptable paralysis” of the UN Security Council in the face of the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine during a G20 foreign ministers meeting. The UN Security Council was unable to respond to the invasion of Ukraine, particularly due to the Russian veto.
“Multilateral institutions are not adequately equipped to deal with current challenges, as the unacceptable paralysis of the Security Council in the face of ongoing conflicts shows. This inaction leads directly to the loss of human life,” said Minister Mauro Vieira in his opening speech at the meeting, in Rio de Janeiro.
6:05 p.m
February 21, 2024
EXEMPTION FROM CUSTOMS DUTIES, AMENDED
At the heart of recent farmers' protests, EU member states have agreed to extend tariff exemptions for Ukrainian agricultural imports from June, accompanied by strengthened “safeguards” to limit their impact.
The text proposed by Brussels and confirmed by the Ambassadors of the Twenty-Seven provides for rapid “corrective measures” in the event of “significant disturbances” in the market. An “emergency brake” applies to three products (poultry, eggs, sugar), which stabilizes imports at the average import volumes in the period 2022-2023; if this is exceeded, the tariffs would be reintroduced. The MPs now have to decide on this.
5:13 p.m
February 21, 2024
THE THREAT OF RUSSIAN SPYING
The Swedish secret service (Säpo) warned of the territorial threat from Russian espionage, particularly in the Arctic. Russia, like China, “carries out activities that endanger security in the far north of Sweden,” Säpo writes in its annual threat assessment report.
“Russia’s interest in northern Sweden mainly concerns Sweden’s military capabilities,” Säpo continues, as Sweden’s likely accession to NATO draws closer. The country, like Finland, ended two centuries of non-alignment by applying to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This accession is expected to come about next Monday in the vote in the Hungarian Parliament, the final obstacle.
16:28
February 21, 2024
45,000 RUSSIAN SOLDIERS KILLED, ACCORDING TO MEDIA
Russian website Mediazona and the BBC's Russian Service said they had identified around 45,000 Russian soldiers killed since the invasion of Ukraine began two years ago in a joint investigation published today. This count was carried out while military losses in Russia and Ukraine are kept secret.
The count runs from February 24, 2022 to February 20, 2024. It is not exhaustive, but the two media outlets say they have identified 45,123 killed Russian soldiers using freely available sources such as obituaries, press releases from local authorities. Obituaries published in the media or on social networks. The media emphasizes that the actual burden is certainly much higher. It could be twice as high, suggests the Russian service BBC.
16:03
February 21, 2024
LOCK THE BORDER BETWEEN UKRAINE AND POLAND
For several weeks, Polish farmers have been mobilizing on the Ukrainian border and complaining about unfair competition with agricultural production from Ukraine. Given this situation, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for talks between the Polish and Ukrainian governments about opening the border.
“I have asked our government to go to the border between our two countries as soon as possible, by February 24th,” he said in a video, even calling on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to do so. “Only Moscow is happy” about these tensions between the two allied countries, he denounced.
15:43
February 21, 2024
UKRAINE'S ACCESS TO THE EU: THE NEGOTIATION FRAMEWORK PRESENTED AT “EARLY SUMMER”.
The European Commission should present the “negotiating framework” for Ukraine’s EU accession in “early summer”, after the European elections in June, announced the President of the institution, Ursula von der Leyen.
At a summit in mid-December, the heads of state and government of the Twenty-seven agreed to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and instructed the Commission to present them with a “negotiating framework” after examining the situation in the country and the measures already decided by Kiev. An initial deadline had already been indicated before, but Ursula von der Leyen ultimately postponed the presentation of the “negotiating framework”.
3:33 p.m
February 21, 2024
VON DER LEYEN CALLS FOR THE DEFENSE COMMISSIONER
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, argued in Brussels for the appointment of a defense commissioner whose central task would be to “promote the industrial base” of the twenty-seven in this sector. “European citizens want more Europe in defense. They want us to invest more and better,” the German official said a few days before the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I see a Commissioner for Defense and Security as being responsible for the defense industrial base, which is a key responsibility of the Commission,” emphasized Ursula von der Leyen, candidate for a new five-member commission. one year period. When asked about the personalities who could take on this position as commissioner, she said that it was “too early” to discuss it.
13:11
February 21, 2024
EUROPEANS ARE PESSIMISTIC ABOUT A VICTORY IN Kiev
European citizens are pessimistic about Ukraine's chances of winning the war against Russia and believe a negotiated solution between the two countries is the most likely outcome, according to a survey of 12 EU countries published on Wednesday.
According to this survey, conducted in January for the European Council on International Relations (ECFR) think tank, only 10% of respondents predict a victory for Ukraine on the ground.
About 20% expect this for Russia, while 37% believe the war will end in some kind of “compromise” between the two countries. The most optimistic about Ukraine's chances of victory are Poland, Sweden and Portugal, while the most pessimistic are Greece, Hungary and Italy.
11:01
February 21, 2024
ROUSSEL WANTS NEUTRALITY STATUS FOR Kyiv
PCF national secretary Fabien Roussel on Wednesday argued for Ukraine's neutrality status, as demanded by Moscow, instead of its accession to the European Union and NATO, and called on Europeans to build “collective security.”
“Everything must be done to prevent this military escalation,” the Communist leader stressed as the war in Ukraine enters its third year at the end of the week. To achieve this, “we cannot accept Ukraine's request to join the European Union and NATO. That’s not possible,” he said.
France and the European Union “are right to help a country that is being invaded,” emphasized Fabien Roussel, while London, Berlin and Paris signed bilateral security agreements with Kiev a few days ago.
10:28
February 21, 2024
SANCTIONS
Ambassadors of EU countries agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, a few days before the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Belgian EU Council Presidency announced.
A draft text seen by AFP specifically proposed restricting EU companies' trade with three mainland Chinese companies that have supplied the Russian army and blacklisting North Korea's defense minister for supplying missiles to Moscow.
08:27
February 21, 2024
Kiev's denial
The Ukrainian army denied on Wednesday that it had lost control of its Krynky bridgehead on the occupied bank of the Dnieper in southern Ukraine and that Russian President Vladimir Putin himself had claimed its capture the day before.
“The military and political leadership of the aggressor country has announced the capture of the bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper. We officially say that this information is false,” the Southern Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on social networks.
07:21
February 21, 2024
SANCTIONS IN VISIBLE AT G7
The Italian presidency of the G7 announced on Tuesday a video conference meeting of its heads of state and government on Saturday on the subject of Ukraine, at which a decision will be made about tightening sanctions against Russia.
This meeting, which will be attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky, is the first of the heads of state and government of the G7 member countries (USA, Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Canada) under the Italian presidency. At the end of the meeting, which is scheduled to last an hour and a half in the afternoon, a joint statement on Ukraine will be adopted, according to Italian diplomats.
According to the same sources, the participants should decide on “tightening the sanctions regime”. “The EU will launch a new sanctions package and the USA will also agree to tightening its sanctions.”
07:20
February 21, 2024
THE SITUATION POINT
Here are the most important events of the last 24 hours:
- Russia called on Tuesday for the recapture of the village of Krynky on the occupied bank of the Dnieper in southern Ukraine. “Krynky has been purged, we de facto control the entire bank,” Sergei Shoigu assured in response to a question from the Russian president during a meeting between the two men. Ukrainian forces have been trying to gain ground on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region for months.
- The Ukrainian army headquarters on Tuesday noted no fewer than 84 Russian attacks in the last 24 hours, all of which were “repelled,” he assured. While Russian operations around Avdiivka itself were significantly reduced, numerous attacks occurred near Mariinka (east), near Bakhmout (east), and in the Zaporizhia region (south). “The situation is extremely difficult at several points on the front line,” Mr. Zelensky admitted on Monday evening. Russian troops are “exploiting the delay in aid to Ukraine,” he said, as the country is deprived of $60 billion in critical U.S. military aid that is currently blocked in Congress.
- The Russians are still bombing areas beyond the front almost every day. According to the Ukrainian army, a mother, her two children and her grandmother, as well as another woman, died when a Russian Lancet attack drone exploded in their home in the Sumy region (northeast). Finally, the anti-aircraft defense destroyed 23 Iranian-made Shahed explosive drones that Russia had fired at various regions of Ukraine on the night of Monday to Tuesday.
- The two French humanitarian workers killed in southeastern Ukraine in early February were victims of a “deliberate attack” by drones, the Swiss NGO they worked for said on Tuesday. The six-member Swiss Protestant Entraide (Eper, Heks in German) team was attacked near the front line during a mission to assess the humanitarian situation in the region around the town of Beryslav on the north bank of the Dnieper.
07:10
February 21, 2024
LIVE
Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to events in Ukraine.
The Italian presidency of the G7 announced on Tuesday a video conference meeting of its heads of state and government on Saturday on the subject of Ukraine, at which a decision will be made about tightening sanctions against Russia.
This meeting, which will be attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky, is the first of the heads of state and government of the G7 member countries (USA, Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Canada) under the Italian presidency.
It was called “on the occasion of the second anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine,” said a government press release in Rome, at a time when Kiev recognizes that it is in an “extremely difficult” situation for its armed forces , who lack ammunition. and American aid.
At the end of the meeting, which is scheduled to last an hour and a half in the afternoon, a joint statement on Ukraine will be adopted, according to Italian diplomats. According to the same sources, the participants should decide on “tightening the sanctions regime”. “The EU will launch a new sanctions package and the USA will also agree to tightening its sanctions.”
The editorial team of TF1info