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
Russia summoned the French Ambassador to Moscow Pierre Lévy this Friday after comments deemed “unacceptable” by the head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Séjourné, who estimated Monday that Paris no longer saw the “interest” in discussing with Moscow .
“It is not our interest today to discuss with Russian officials since the press releases that come out, the reports that are made are false,” declared Stéphane Séjourné a few days after a telephone conversation between the Russian and Russian ministers. French Defense which resulted in divergent accounts. This Friday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore summoned the French ambassador in Moscow in response.
“The Russian ministry, as usual, does not accept that its lies are corrected,” a French diplomatic source commented to AFP on Friday. Pierre Lévy “has been informed of the unacceptable nature of such declarations, which have nothing to do with reality,” Russian diplomacy announced. “We consider these statements by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs as a conscious and deliberate action by the French side aimed at undermining the very possibility of any dialogue between the two countries,” she continued.
Today’s statement
“ The missiles pass above us (…) but the cafes are full, we are all on the internet, all connected. The city is both dilapidated and civilized »
The testimony is by Oleg Khromov, a 34-year-old Ukrainian living in Kharkiv and co-founder of a bar among the first to reopen after the Russian invasion. Ukraine’s second city, located around forty kilometers from Russia and long considered Russophile, has suffered almost daily shooting since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
In recent weeks, missile strikes have intensified, leaving dozens dead and injured and leading to power outages and rationing. Hundreds of thousands of residents, out of the city’s 1.5 million before the war, have left. Among the young people who stayed, several say they did so as a sign of resistance.
The number of the day
More than 14 million. This is the number of Ukrainians, about 40% of the population, who need help, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) working for the UN. Of these Ukrainians, almost four million have been displaced within the country. Around six million others have fled Ukraine as refugees.
The UN migration chief urged countries on Friday to increase their humanitarian support for Ukraine, following her first visit to the country invaded by Russia. “Ordinary Ukrainians do a lot. People stick together,” Amy Pope said in a telephone interview as she wrapped up a five-day visit. But she said she felt acutely the anxiety in the country over signs of weakening international solidarity.
The United Nations says it needs $4.2 billion this year to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and refugees who have fled, but it fears a likely shortage as the Gaza war dominates world news.
The trend
The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office opened an investigation this Friday into suspicions of corruption among MEPs after the identification of an influence network financed by Moscow, announced Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, specifying that the subject will be discussed this week next at the EU summit.
Prague revealed at the end of March the discovery by Czech intelligence services of a network financed and orchestrated by Moscow which spread pro-Russian propaganda on Ukraine via the Voice of Europe website. Belgium then underlined that, according to its services, MEPs “had received money” in this context to relay messages from Russia.
Our file on the war in Ukraine
“Our judicial authorities have confirmed that this interference is subject to prosecution,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Friday. “Cash payments did not take place in Belgium, interference did,” he explained, recalling that his country was the seat of European institutions.
The law provides for a penalty of six months to five years of imprisonment and a fine of 1,000 to 20,000 euros. For Alexander De Croo, Moscow is seeking to elect more pro-Russian MEPs during the European elections in June.