DIRECT. War in Ukraine: Emmanuel Macron salutes the “historic unity” of Europeans

Retired general and military expert, Dominique Trinquand points out the weaknesses of the Russian army, fifteen days after the start of its offensive in Ukraine, and evokes doubts about Putin’s strategy within his public opinion and among the oligarchs. Maintenance.

“We have a certain dependence, a little on crude oil, more on diesel, but at this stage we believe that we have the means to find alternative supplies, so that we are not in a situation of oil shortage”, declared Olivier Gantois, President of Ufip (formerly the French Union of Petroleum Industries).

The French subsidiary of RT (ex-Russia Today) on Tuesday brought an action before European justice to have the ban on broadcasting imposed by the European Union as part of the sanctions against Russia annulled, announces the Court of Justice of the EU. “We will fight to the end for what we believe to be a serious attack on freedom of expression,” assured on Twitter the president of RT France, Xenia Fedorova, about this appeal.

The Ukrainian president issued an appeal to good souls willing to fight the Russian enemy, which resonated around the world. How is the formation of these battalions going? Who can join them? We take stock.

Turkey welcomes the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers on Thursday for their first face-to-face since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba will be received by Turkish Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antalya, a popular seaside resort for Russian tourists in the south of the country.

When receiving Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the eve of the European Union summit in Versailles, the President of the Republic also hailed the “speed” of decision-making shown by the Europeans after the invasion of Ukraine. This “war on European soil (…) requires us to do even more and to draw the consequences in the short and medium term”, he added.

This site, available in English and soon in Ukrainian, will enable refugees to find out about their rights in the European Union, in particular regarding the temporary protection regime granted by the Twenty-Seven. The initiative was launched by the European Commission.

The Twenty-Seven have decided to extend their sanctions against Moscow and Minsk following the invasion of Ukraine. 14 oligarchs and 146 Russian senators have been added to the blacklist of the European Union, which has also decided to ban the export to Russia of parts and technologies intended for the maritime sector and to include cryptocurrencies in the field financial sanctions. Three Belarusian banks were also disconnected from the international financial platform Swift.

The power cut at the Chernobyl nuclear site has “no major impact on security”, says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Considering the time that has elapsed since the Chernobyl accident of 1986, “the heat load of the spent fuel storage pool and the volume of cooling water are sufficient to ensure efficient heat removal without electricity “.

“The British government has issued a notice to aircrew to prevent a disputed flight from taking off from Farnborough Airport”, in south-east London, a spokesperson for the Department of Transport told AFP. According to the AP news agency, this private jet is suspected of being linked to the Russian oligarch Eugene Shvidler, a friend of Roman Abramovich, owner of the departing English football club Chelsea.

“We are playing our modest role alongside institutions that provide immediate relief” to affected populations, said Ferrari boss Benedetto Vigna in a statement, whose brand has donated one million euros in support of refugees. Ukrainians. The Italian luxury car manufacturer, which produces its cars in Italy, sells less than a hundred cars each year in Russia.

What is authorized to do, in time of war? If the surge of violence is inevitable, texts regulate armed conflicts. Decryption.

The World Economic Forum in Davos, which brings together the elite of the political, economic and diplomatic world in the Alps each year, will do without any relationship with Russian persons or entities targeted by sanctions. Russia non grata

For Gabriel Attal, theAbout Corbière are “irresponsible: This morning on FranceInfo, the deputy of France Insoumise would have revealed secret-defense information on the weapons sent to Ukraine. “Communicating on this list is communicating about the weapons that Ukraine needs from Russia. That a member takes the liberty of communicating is not responsible. Moreover, it was done with approximation. A frank answer which condemns the opposition… even if it means implying that this information is true.

While Russia is close to default according to the rating agencies, the government is careful to assess the secondary effects on French production, deprived of certain raw materials and faced with very expensive energy. The executive is preparing a resilience plan for next week to cushion the Ukrainian crisis.

Will the power cut detected at Chernobyl have any consequences on the radioactive emissions of the damaged power plant in 1986? Gabriel Attal underlines France’s “concern” around this site, as well as that of Zaporijjia, the largest power plant in Europe, now held by the Russians.

Asked about a gas embargo, the government spokesman dodges and evokes the stammering effectiveness of the sanctions: “We are looking at how to enhance, what we are already doing and how to prepare for counter sanctions”, specifies Attal, assuring that discussions were underway at European level, without specifying which ones.

The government spokesperson announces the creation of an interministerial unit, under the aegis of the Ministry of the Interior, to ensure the reception of Ukrainian refugees in France.

On leaving the Council of Ministers, government spokesman Gabriel Attal reaffirmed Paris’s closeness to Ukraine.

“For two weeks the Ukrainians have been resisting heroically and we are standing by their side (…) France has never been so close to Kiev”, he recalls.

For the French government, nothing indicates a quick end to this war; Attal even advances an “intensification of the conflict”.

In response, France wants to “increase the cost of war until it becomes unsustainable”, while maintaining international dialogue.

In England, France, Germany or the Netherlands, NGOs and port workers block ships carrying Russian gas, accused of financing Vladimir Putin’s war. Our story.

On a visit to France, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands affirms that it is not possible to do without Russian hydrocarbons in the immediate future, while stressing the importance of achieving independence quickly, via investments from the European Union in renewables, in particular.

“European coordination has been very close, (…) with massive sanctions, taken very quickly. Our line is clear and simple: condemnation of the aggression (…), support for the Ukrainians and sanctions to stop this aggression”, declared the French president ahead of a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, also a NATO contributor. “We are working together on several defense projects,” continues the president.

Moldova, Georgia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden… Led by women, these countries geographically and historically worried about Russia. lead a hard line vis-à-vis Putin. Our article.

Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, ousted last week from the Haas Formula 1 team after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, announced the creation of a foundation to support athletes losing their jobs “for political reasons”. This foundation “will be dedicated to helping athletes who, for political reasons beyond their control, lose their ability to compete at the highest level,” explained the pilot. This foundation will be financed by Uralkali, the former sponsor of the Haas team.

The Senegalese head of state Macky Sall, current president of the African Union (AU), who spoke with Vladimir Putin called for “a lasting ceasefire” in Ukraine.