Did you miss the latest events on the tensions in Ukraine? Do not panic, 20 minutes updates you every night at 7:30 p.m. Who did what? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below:
news of the day
This Monday, Russia announced the end of certain military exercises intended to impress Kiev. But a few hours later, the Pentagon accused Moscow of having further reinforced its military presence on Ukraine’s borders over the weekend.
Vladimir Putin “continues to send additional forces along this border and he has well over 100,000 [hommes] “, declared the spokesman of the Pentagon, John Kirby for whom it is not only a question of “a question of numbers” but especially of “weapons capacities”. According to him, Russia has all the capabilities to launch “at any time” a “vast military offensive in Ukraine”.
sentence of the day
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is a geopolitical weapon”
This was affirmed by Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference with Olaf Scholz, proving once again that the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 continues to cause strong tensions in the region. At the same time, Boris Johnson encouraged European countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas.
The trend of the day
Western positions are hardening as Moscow opens its door to negotiations on Monday. The head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov considered possible a diplomatic settlement of the crisis around Ukraine, even proposing to “prolong and broaden” the dialogue, a soothing speech whose reliability is questioned by the prosecution of the Pentagon.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, deeming a Russian invasion of Ukraine possible “within 48 hours”, called on Vladimir Putin to step back from the “precipice”. The German Chancellor, who was in Kiev on Monday and is going to Moscow on Tuesday, threatened Russia with “serious consequences” in the event of “military aggression”.
“We expect immediate signs of de-escalation from Moscow,” added Olaf Scholz. For its part, the G7 said it was ready to impose sanctions with “massive consequences” for Russia. Despite these strong declarations, the Europeans continue to hope for a friendly solution. On Wednesday, the Italian Foreign Minister will travel to Moscow with the aim of discouraging “any aggression or escalation”.