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 essentials of the day.
The fact of the day
During the first online G20 attended by the Russian president since the start of the war, Olaf Scholz urged Vladimir Putin to end the conflict, to stop Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. “I called on him to withdraw his troops from the territory of Ukraine so that this war finally ends,” declared the German leader, during a press conference in Berlin with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Putin’s participation in this G20 (includes the 19 largest economies in the world as well as the EU and the African Union) was “a good opportunity” to clearly state how to restore peace in Ukraine: “It is Russia who has attacked Ukraine and to easily restore peace, it is enough for Russia to withdraw its troops. » The Italian leader agreed with Scholz: “We once again insisted on our position” with Russia during the virtual G20 summit. “The simplest would be a withdrawal of (Russian) troops. »
Sentence of the day
A gift for Putin
This is the ironic name of an online fundraiser, created to offer a Black Hawk helicopter to kyiv, against a backdrop of fears of Western disengagement from Ukraine. Since its launch, the Czech crowdfunding project has raised the equivalent of 23.1 million euros from more than 188,000 donors, for the purchase of a tank, a rocket launcher, a system mine clearance, drones and munitions. Translated into six languages, the Czech site now aims to raise funds for the purchase of this Black Hawk helicopter, worth an estimated 3.6 million euros.
The number of the day
300. This is the number of migrants waiting in the Russian Arctic to cross into Finland, according to Moscow “Foreign citizens cannot cross the border because of the Finnish side. This NATO country is artificially creating a traffic jam,” Andreï Tchibis, governor of the Russian region of Murmansk, denounced on Telegram. As a reminder, Helsinki has closed crossing points, accusing Moscow of orchestrating a migration crisis.
Today’s trend
The European Union is trying at all costs to reassure Ukraine before a European summit in December, already considered “very difficult”, which Kiev impatiently expects will reward its efforts to join the EU. However, nothing says that the 27, meeting in mid-December in Brussels, will manage to agree on the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine, an essential step before its accession to the European Union.
The President of the European Council Charles Michel came to kyiv on Tuesday to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and assure him of Europe’s unwavering support. Multiplying the warnings addressed to the Europeans, Charles Michel however seemed to prepare the ground for a no from the 27 to Ukraine next month. Because if most of the 27 are convinced of the strategic importance of Ukraine’s accession, some are dragging their feet. An agreement on Ukraine or Moldova, another country in the region which is awaiting the opening of accession negotiations, requires the unanimity of the 27. However, Viktor Orban’s Hungary has until now been inflexible , blocking for example European aid of 500 million euros to Ukraine.
And she’s not the only one. Several European countries are very cautious regarding this large agricultural country of 40 million inhabitants, and fear the destabilization that its accession could cause. Ukraine’s needs are immense, and some member states will become net debtors to the EU after having been net beneficiaries for years. Finally, some countries are also worried about the fate of the Balkan countries which are also knocking on Europe’s door. They are demanding progress in December in exchange for a yes to Ukraine. However, several others believe that a country like Bosnia, for example, is far from ready.