9:12 a.m .: Ukraine asks that we “reserve” a place for it in the European Union
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba asked Thursday that a place be “reserved” for his country in the European Union, even if the accession negotiations must last a long time. “We hear very often that Ukraine belongs to the European family and now it is important to reserve this place” for the country in the European Union, he told German public television at the start of a visit in the country
9 am: The leaders of Finland do not hide their desire to join NATO
The President and Prime Minister of Finland have said they want NATO membership “without delay”, while announcing that they will make their final decision on Sunday on the country’s membership of the Transatlantic Alliance. Sweden could follow soon after.
Acceptance of their request would pave the way for an increased troop presence in the northern region. Norway, Denmark and the three Baltic States are already members of NATO.
8:23 am: German Siemens announces its withdrawal from the Russian market
“Today we announced our decision to conduct an orderly process of winding down our industrial business operations in Russia,” Siemens CEO Roland Busch said in a statement. The German company had previously decided not to undertake any new projects after the invasion.
Siemens said its second-quarter net profit plunged 49% to 1.2 billion euros, hit by 600 million charges related to Western sanctions against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. Siemens employs around 3,000 people in Russia.
7:35 a.m .: kyiv offers to exchange Russian prisoners for wounded from Azovstal
Ukraine has offered to release Russian POWs in exchange for the safe evacuation of seriously injured fighters trapped in the Mariupol steelworks.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Wednesday evening that negotiations were underway to release wounded fighters who are entrenched in the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol. She said there were different options, but “none of them are ideal”.
In addition, on Wednesday, a group of wives of Ukrainian soldiers from the Azov regiment met Pope Francis, whom they asked to intervene to “save the lives” of these soldiers.
6:57 am: Besieged commander in Mariupol asks Elon Musk for help
A Ukrainian commander among the fighters besieged by Russian forces at the Azovstal factory in Mariupol on Wednesday appealed for help directly to US billionaire Elon Musk to intervene to save them. “People say you come from another planet to teach people to believe in the impossible. (…) In the place where I live, it is almost impossible to survive”, tweeted Sergei Volyna, commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of Mariupol.
“Help us to leave Azovstal for a third country. If not you, who else? Give me a lead, ”he continued, indicating that he created an account on Twitter specifically to directly challenge the richest man in the world who is trying to buy the social network for 44 billion dollars. The serviceman asked “every person on planet Earth” to help ensure that Elon Musk is aware of his appeal.
6:28 a.m.: Special session of the Human Rights Council on Ukraine
An extraordinary session of the Human Rights Council is scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, convened at the request of Kyiv to examine “the deterioration of the human rights situation in Ukraine”. Russia, which became a simple observer after leaving this organization in April, decided not to participate.
6:20 am: A first war crime trial in Ukraine
Ukraine will conduct the first war crimes trial linked to the Russian invasion, against a 21-year-old soldier accused of shooting an unarmed civilian.
Vadim Shishimarin is accused of shooting a Kalashnikov through the window of a car he was traveling in to shoot an unarmed 62-year-old civilian, prosecutor Iryna Venediktova’s office said in a statement. . To learn more, read this article.
5:55 a.m .: Russia is “the most direct threat” to the world order, according to Ursula von der Leyen
Russia is the “most direct threat” to the international order because of its invasion of Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday in Tokyo.
Russia “is today the most direct threat to the world order with the barbaric war against Ukraine, and its worrying pact with China”, said Ms von der Leyen after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not only about Europe, but it is shaking the heart of the international order, including Asia. This must not be tolerated,” said Mr. Kishida, whose government has joined Western sanctions against Moscow, including financial and energy ones. Ms von der Leyen said the EU and Japan were strengthening their cooperation, including the launch of a digital partnership, a first for Europe, which will focus on competitiveness and security in this area.
5:50 am: A meeting of the UN Security Council this Thursday
The UN Security Council is expected to hold another public meeting on the conflict on Thursday. Requested by France and Mexico, this session will be the 16th of the Security Council since the Russian invasion of February 24.
“We believe in victory”: facing French students, Zelensky wants to send a message of hope
Volodymyr Zelensky answered questions on Wednesday from students from schools and universities in Paris, Nancy, Strasbourg and even Lyon, gathered at Sciences Po Paris. The Ukrainian president renewed his criticisms of Ukraine’s non-integration into NATO and the EU, while saying he was certain of a victory for his country against Russia.
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5:47 am: A pro-Russian official discusses the annexation of the Kherson region
The Ukrainian region of Kherson, occupied by the Russians since the beginning of March, will ask to be annexed by Russia, said Wednesday one of its pro-Russian officials. Kherson is the only major Ukrainian city over which the Russians have claimed full control in the two and a half month war in Ukraine.
On Friday, a senior Russian parliamentary official, Andrei Turtchak, had already affirmed, on a visit to Kherson, that Russia would remain “forever” in southern Ukraine.
5:46 am: The latest highlights on the ground
– Russia is slowly gaining ground in the Donbass. The besieged twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysytchansk in particular look like they could fall at any moment.
– On the other hand, kyiv was pleased to have pushed back the Russian forces which had been firing for weeks on the north-eastern districts of Kharkiv, the second largest city in the country, and to have taken over some small towns in this region very close to the Russian border.
– In Mariupol, if the hundreds of Ukrainian fighters who entrenched themselves there still hold the Azovstal steelworks, they are also constantly bombarded, according to kyiv.
– On Wednesday, the governor of the Russian region of Belgorod, neighboring Ukraine in southwestern Russia, claimed that shelling from Ukraine had caused one dead and three injured. He specified that the situation was “the most difficult” that his region had known since the start of the Russian offensive on February 24.
What to remember from Wednesday
- Deliveries of Russian gas to Germany transiting through Ukraine were down on Wednesday, by 25%, for the first time since the start of the conflict. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the situation.
- In Vienna, where he was for a UN meeting, the UN Secretary General called for maintaining contact with Vladimir Putin’s Russia to save lives in Ukraine and prepare for peace, even if no peaceful settlement of the conflict is currently looming.
- In Washington, where he met President Biden, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi also called for dialogue, believing that the United States and Russia should sit around the same “peace table” to find a way out. to the war in Ukraine.
5:45 am: Hello everyone, welcome to this live where we will follow the situation around the conflict in Ukraine, this Thursday, May 12, on the 78th day of the Russian invasion.