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
Volodymyr Zelensky continues his international tour. The Ukrainian leader traveled to Saudi Arabia on Friday to participate in the Arab League, stealing the show from Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Moscow, who is making a comeback on this diplomatic scene. The Ukrainian president’s stopover in Jeddah, a coastal city on the Red Sea, was an opportunity for him to address the leaders of a region that is much less united in its support for Ukraine than its European and American allies.
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Mohammed bin Salman for “his support for the territorial integrity” of Ukraine, during a bilateral meeting. He also felt that “some” Arab countries “close[ai]his eyes” on the invasion of his country by Russia, the “prisons” and the “illegal annexations”. Volodymyr Zelensky will then travel this weekend to Hiroshima, a Japanese city that suffered the first atomic bombing in history in 1945 and has since become a global symbol of peace. He will be present at the G7 summit. A more friendly ground for the head of state.
sentence of the day
It represents a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and to security. »
It is in these terms that Moscow declared this Friday the environmental NGO Greenpeace “undesirable” in Russia. This decision leads to the prohibition of its activities in the country, in full repression of any critical voice since the decision of the Kremlin to invade Ukraine. The NGO usually carries out operations in Russia to raise awareness of climate change, fight against forest fires and preserve animal species.
The number of the day
117,400. This is the number of contract soldiers recruited for his army since January 1, 2023, according to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The Kremlin is trying to rebuild ranks weakened by the invasion of Ukraine. The leader, currently number 2 of the Russian Security Council, welcomed “the continuation of work” to increase the number of the army “in the framework of the instructions given by [Vladimir Poutine] “.
The trend of the day
In a joint statement issued after a meeting on Ukraine on Friday, the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada announced measures to “deprive the Russia of G7 technologies, industrial equipment and services that support its war enterprise”.
This includes restrictions on exports of goods “essential to Russia on the battlefield”, as well as the targeting of entities accused of bringing material to the front line on its behalf.
The United Kingdom and the European Union – which participates in the G7 discussions – had previously announced restrictions on their imports of Russian diamonds, which bring in several billion dollars each year for Moscow.