Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Between the strong declarations, the advances on the front and the results of the battles, here are the main points of the day.
The fact of the day
Helsinki presents itself as a faithful ally of kyiv. In a ten-year security agreement signed this Wednesday, Finland promises to “continue to provide long-term military, political and financial support” to Ukraine “as long as necessary”. Finnish President Alexander Stubb also announced “a 23rd package” of aid to kyiv, which “represents 188 million euros of mainly military aid”. “It includes, among other things, air defense and heavy munitions,” he said during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky.
After more than two years of invasion of Russia, Finland, which joined NATO in April 2023 in response to the assault on Moscow, has already provided “two billion euros” in military aid to kyiv since on February 24, 2022 and “700 million euros” for humanitarian aid, according to Alexander Stubb.
The number of the day
100. This is, in billions of euros, the amount of a five-year aid fund for kyiv, proposed by NATO. “We must ensure reliable, predictable and long-term military assistance for Ukraine,” declared its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday. “Moscow must understand that they [les Russes] cannot achieve their objectives on the battlefield and wait for [l’Otan] gets tired” and gives up helping Ukraine, he explained. Asked about this fund proposal, the NATO Secretary General refused to give details, explaining that discussions would begin this week with a view to finding a “consensus” among the 32 NATO countries before their summit. in July in Washington.
Today’s statement
“ This boy was called Olexandre, 23 years old. […] He died at Avdiïvka, on the front, leaving the life he had ahead of him. » »
Pope Francis paid tribute Wednesday to a young Ukrainian soldier killed at the front at the end of his general audience in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. In his hand he held a rosary and a copy of the New Testament that belonged to the soldier. Francis then invited the thousands of faithful to meditate for a few moments in silence. “War always destroys. Let us think of them and pray,” he added.
Today’s trend
Recruitment centers “have recorded a significant increase in the number of people wishing to sign contracts […] for a week and a half,” said the Russian Defense Ministry. This corresponds to the period since the attack on Crocus City Hall which left at least 144 dead on March 22. “In total, around 16,000 citizens have signed contracts to participate in the special military operation over the past ten days,” he said in a statement published on Telegram.
Our file on the war in Ukraine
According to the ministry, the new recruits, in interviews, “indicated that their main motivation for signing a contract was the desire to avenge the victims of the tragedy” at Crocus City Hall. However, it was the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) which claimed responsibility for this attack. But the Russian authorities, led by President Vladimir Putin, persist in establishing a link between Ukraine and the attack, even if kyiv rejects these accusations.