Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening. Between the strong declarations, the progress on the front and the results of the battles, here is the main part of the day.
News of the day
This is the latest Western cacophony and a red line that could well end up being crossed. Volodymyr Zelensky urges his allies to allow him to strike Russian territory with their weapons. NATO is also pushing Western capitals to lift restrictions that “tie the hands behind the backs of Ukrainians”, in the words of its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
But the chancelleries remain divided. The most reluctant – Rome, London and Berlin in particular – brandish the risk of escalation, of extension of the conflict, with the implicit risk of the use of nuclear weapons by Vladimir Putin. And the latter proved them right this Tuesday by being very threatening. “In Europe, especially in smaller countries, they need to think about what they are playing with. They must remember that they are often states with a small territory and a very dense population,” he explained during a press briefing in Uzbekistan. “This factor is a serious thing that they must have in mind before talking about striking deep into Russian territory (…) This permanent escalation can have serious consequences,” he warned.
The number of the day
30. Belgium committed to the Ukrainian president on Tuesday to provide him with 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028. Zelensky was received Tuesday morning by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to sign a bilateral agreement including this commitment. He specified that the agreement included this “unprecedented” commitment by the Belgians to an exact number of F-16 combat aircraft. The first of 30 “will already arrive this year,” he said.
Belgium is participating in “a coalition” with several other European countries (Netherlands, Denmark in particular) to deliver F-16s to Ukraine and initially to train Ukrainian pilots in the use of these devices.
Today’s statement
“ His absence [celle de Joe Biden] it would be like applauding Putin” »
From Brussels, Volodymyr Zelensky put pressure on Joe Biden, who has still not confirmed his arrival at the peace summit which is to be held in Switzerland on June 15 and 16. The countries which are avoiding the summit are “satisfied” with the war which has ravaged Ukraine for more than two years, said the Ukrainian president.
Around 90 countries have confirmed their presence in Switzerland. Ukraine does not want Russian representatives there. “Putin (…) tried to collapse this summit and continues to do so,” believes Volodymyr Zelensky.
Today’s trend
There is for the moment “no consensus” in the European Union to send military instructors to Ukrainian soil, Josep Borrel, the head of European diplomacy, said Tuesday in Brussels following a EU Council of Defense Ministers. Many European countries fear an escalation of the conflict in which NATO would then be involved. On Monday, however, kyiv announced that French instructors were going to go to Ukraine “soon” to train Ukrainian troops, before backpedaling and indicating that they were still “in discussions with France and other countries on this issue”. To which Vladimir Putin responded this Tuesday that he is convinced that there are already Western instructors on site, posing as “mercenaries”.
As a reminder, French President Emmanuel Macron created controversy at the end of February by affirming that the sending of Western troops to Ukrainian soil should not “be excluded” in the future. Most European countries, as well as the United States, clearly stood out, but some countries, such as the Czech Republic and Poland, have since taken a step in its direction.