Did you miss the latest developments on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes gives you an update every evening. Between strong statements, advances on the front and the results of the fighting, here is the essential information for this Friday, the 940th day of the conflict.
The fact of the day
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during a visit to kyiv that the EU plans to lend €35 billion to Ukraine, which is facing a dreaded winter after its energy system was badly damaged by Russian strikes. At the press conference, the official, who stood next to Volodymyr Zelensky, assured that the EU would help Ukraine “keep the lights on, keep your people warm and keep your economy running.” [son] economy “.
EU member states still need to approve the proposal, but the process will be accelerated, a European official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The loan is unconditional and can be directly integrated into Ukraine’s national budget, the source said. It will be financed by profits from frozen Russian assets in Europe. Some €200 billion of Russian assets were frozen in the EU after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, about 90% of which are in Belgium, home to the international depository organisation Euroclear.
Statement of the day
” No, obviously, what can we talk about with him? »
This was said by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, when asked by the RIA Novosti news agency about the possibility of a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his American counterpart Antony Blinken at the UN General Assembly in New York. The latter begins this Sunday and more than 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend.
The figure of the day
70.112. This is, according to the independent Russian website Mediazona and the BBC Russian service, the number of Russian soldiers killed since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The toll is incomplete and “the real number is probably much higher”, according to the BBC, but gives an idea of the scale of Russian losses that the Kremlin keeps secret.
The count, as of September 19 according to the BBC, comes from the exploitation of public information, such as official press releases, media obituaries or death announcements on social networks, as well as from the observation of graves in cemeteries in Russia.
Today’s trend
Volodymyr Zelensky assured, this Friday, that he “hopes” that Joe Biden will support his plan to end the war with Russia and that he must present it to him next week during a trip to the United States. “I really hope that he will support this plan” which is based on “rapid decisions of our partners” to be taken “between October and December”, declared the Ukrainian president before adding: “in this case, we believe that this plan will work.”
Volodymyr Zelensky recently announced the preparation of this “victory plan”, after two and a half years of Russian invasion of his country, but never revealed the details. And the Ukrainian head of state will be received on September 26 to present it at the White House by Joe Biden and, separately, by Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic candidate for the presidential election on November 5.