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
An “unprecedented security agreement”, praised Volodymyr Zelensky. On Friday, his country and the United Kingdom signed a ten-year commitment. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who wanted to send a “message” with this surprise visit, pleaded for continued Western aid. Any weakening of this support would “encourage” not only Vladimir Putin but also “his allies in North Korea, Iran and elsewhere,” he assured.
The United Kingdom, Ukraine’s early supporter in the face of the Russian invasion, is the first country to achieve a final agreement, according to Downing Street. Rishi Sunak also announced an increase in military aid and the delivery of thousands of drones. UK military aid for the year 2024/2025 will amount to £2.5 billion, an increase of £200 million on the previous two years. It will bring the total amount of British aid to kyiv to almost 12 billion pounds sterling (14 billion euros).
Sentence of the day
In 2023, the first Ukrainian incursions took place in temporarily occupied Crimea, although some thought them impossible. And that’s just the beginning. »
Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR), ad in The world that Ukrainian attacks in annexed Crimea will intensify. “This gives hope, especially to the Ukrainians in Crimea who have been living under Russian occupation for ten years and many of whom were starting to become discouraged,” he explains.
The number of the day
78. This is the number of trams that Switzerland will provide to Ukraine. The Alpine country will deliver to Lviv 11 trams which were withdrawn from circulation in Bern but are still “in perfect working order” and can still circulate for “10 to 12 years”, indicates the Ministry of the Economy in a press release. The latter is also financing the construction of a new tram line to a hospital in Lviv, on which Bernese low-floor trams will be able to travel. To this will be added “probably 67 trams” coming from Zurich to the town of Vinnytsa, where 28 vehicles have already been sent.
Today’s trend
The new head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Séjourné, “is on his way to kyiv” where he is due to meet Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting was initially scheduled with outgoing minister Catherine Colonna but with the reshuffle that took place on Thursday evening and the appointment of Stéphane Séjourné to the Quai d’Orsay, it is the latter who will make the trip.
“Helping Ukraine means guaranteeing the victory of democracy,” Stéphane Séjourné declared Friday morning during his handover of power. He also announced that he would travel “in the coming days to Berlin and Warsaw”.