French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu spoke on the telephone on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Choïgu, a first since October 2022. Problem: the version of the two men on the substance of this call diverges.
Dissensions over the nature of the discussions immediately arose in the communiqués from the two capitals, which also mentioned the war in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday evening that the two countries had said they were “ready to dialogue” regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Comments, a priori unexpected on the part of France, immediately denied by Paris. The Russian minister clearly affirmed “being ready to resume dialogue on Ukraine” but “France has neither accepted nor proposed anything” on this subject, underlined the entourage of the French minister.
Four people died and more than ten were injured overnight from Wednesday to Thursday following new Russian strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, authorities announced.
Three rescue workers died during a “second strike” on a location that had just been bombed in a “densely populated district of Kharkiv,” announced Mayor Igor Terekhov.
One person was also killed in a strike on a residential building in another neighborhood, he added.
Police in the Kharkiv region also reported four deaths and eleven injuries. According to this source, the fourth person to die is a 68-year-old resident.
French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu spoke on the telephone on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Choïgu, a first since October 2022.
This exchange, requested by Paris on the question of counter-terrorism, comes shortly after the attack on March 22 near Moscow. Dissensions over the nature of the discussions immediately arose in the communiqués of the two countries, which also mentioned the war in Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the two countries said they were “ready to engage in dialogue” regarding the conflict in Ukraine. “The starting point could be the ‘Istanbul Peace Initiative’,” he added. Comments immediately denied by Paris. The Russian minister clearly affirmed “being ready to resume dialogue on Ukraine” but “France has neither accepted nor proposed anything” on this subject, underlined the entourage of the French minister.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did not hide his concern on Wednesday about the situation on the front in Ukraine, asking the Allies to quickly respond to the “urgent needs” of this country in ammunition, artillery and especially in means of anti-aircraft defense.
Russian troops are prepared to suffer considerable losses for minimal territorial gains, with “very little respect for human life,” he noted. “This is why the situation on the front is so difficult,” he insisted. Ukrainian soldiers must ration the artillery shells they fire against the Russians, for lack of receiving enough, he also recalled.
Hello everyone. Like every day, the editorial staff of 20 minutes is mobilized to give you all the information on the conflict. This Thursday, NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was in fact founded on April 4, 1949 by 12 countries from Europe and North America, to counter the Soviet threat. There are today 32 members, two of which, Finland and Sweden, joined following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. France, for its part, withdrew from the military structure of NATO in 1966 before rejoining it in 2009. A divide that still persists in Brussels. No Frenchman has ever been secretary general of the Organization.