Did you miss the latest events on the war 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.
The fact of the day
Vladimir Putin skips the G20. For the second time in a row, after last year’s summit in Bali, the Russian president will not intervene at the summit bringing together 19 countries and the European Union, representing 85% of world GDP. Neither in presence, nor even by videoconference, indicated the Kremlin. “All the work will be done by the Minister of Foreign Affairs” Sergei Lavrov, specifies spokesperson Dmitri Peskov.
However, Russia and India, which is hosting the summit, maintain good relations, and the Russian president does not fear the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, since New Delhi is not a signatory to the ICC. The office of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also specified that the latter had spoken to Vladimir Putin on the telephone and “expressed his incomprehension” regarding his decision.
The number of the day
5.4. This is the sum, in millions of dollars, of frozen Russian assets belonging to Russian oligarchs that Washington will include in its new aid plan for Ukraine. This sum must be used to support the reintegration and rehabilitation of veterans. This decision by the United States was “perceived in a completely negative way” in Moscow, notes Dmitri Peskov, who promises that this case will lead “to a legal trial”.
sentence of the day
This is “very bad news” for which “responsibility will lie with the United States.”
Through its spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin criticized the promised supply to Ukraine by the United States of depleted uranium munitions. These munitions are capable of piercing armor but are controversial due to the toxic risks for the military and the population, and their use in the past has “led to a rampant increase” in cancers, according to the Russian official.
The trend of the day
The Ukrainian army has made a breakthrough in the Russian defense lines and is making progress in its counter-offensive against troops in Moscow, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. “The Ukrainians are gradually gaining ground and this proves the importance of our support and also of our capacity and desire to continue to support them,” he explained in committee at the European Parliament.
Despite a counter-offensive launched several weeks ago, Ukrainian gains are marginal for the moment. Jens Stoltenberg explains the difficulties of the Ukrainian counter-offensive by the impressive defense system established by the Russian army. “Rarely in history have we seen as many mines on the battlefield as we see in Ukraine today. So it was obvious that it was going to be extremely difficult,” he explained. But that doesn’t stop the Ukrainians from moving forward, “about 100 meters per day,” he added.