Did you miss the latest events on the tensions in Ukraine? Do not panic, 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
news of the day
In the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the independence of the two eastern territories of Ukraine led by pro-Russian separatists, the West stepped up to the plate on Tuesday with a series of graduated threats. This first wave of sanctions is primarily economic. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the “suspension” of the authorization process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was to allow Russia to export gas without passing through Ukraine. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced sanctions targeting three Kremlin-affiliated oligarchs and five banks.
For its part, the European Union has approved a “sanctions package” against Russia “unanimously”, announced Jean-Yves Le Drian during a joint press conference with Josep Borrell. “We targeted 27 people and entities: politicians, individuals in the defense sector and also the banks that finance Russian decision-makers. We also target economic relations between breakaway republics and the European Union. Finally, we are targeting the ability of the Russian state and government to have access to our financial services,” detailed the President of the European Parliament.
sentence of the day
Peace agreements in Ukraine no longer exist
This is the unequivocal sentence launched by Vladimir Putin during a press conference on Tuesday. During this speech, the Russian President also declared: “If our so-called partners are filling the Kiev authorities with modern weapons (…) then the most important point is to some extent the demilitarization of present-day Ukraine”. , said the Russian president during a surprise press conference on Tuesday.
The number of the day
Four. These are the demands made urgently by Ukraine, which accuses Russia of preparing the continuation of its “military aggression”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first demanded the “immediate” stoppage of the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, then called on his allies to react quickly and strongly. Ukraine has also asked the West to provide it with more weapons and the European Union to guarantee its future membership.
The trend of the day
Vladimir Putin assured that he did not want to “reconstitute an empire” and assured that Moscow was “not preparing for the moment” to deploy forces in eastern Ukraine. “I did not say that our soldiers are going to go there, now (…) It will depend, as they say, on the situation on the ground”, he detailed during his press conference, just after the Russian Senate has approved his request to deploy the military to support pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.
For the West, on the other hand, it is already a “beginning of an invasion”, as declared by a senior White House official, Jonathan Finer. For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, it is neither more nor less than “a pretext for a major offensive”.
This Tuesday, the situation still seemed tenable on the front line with some firefights. However, Germany said it was ready “to provide land, sea and air forces” to Lithuania, and Josep Borrell recalled that the EU had “an arsenal and a capacity for action” against Russia.