As the counter-offensive approaches, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues his European tour in search of support. After Rome, Berlin and Paris on Sunday evening, he is going to London this Monday, May 15. There he will meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at his country residence in Checkers.
Prior to this interview, the United Kingdom has already announced the upcoming delivery of “hundreds” of anti-aircraft missiles and attack drones. The new military support will be sent “over the coming months as Ukraine prepares to step up its resistance to the Russian invasion,” Downing Street said in a statement. “The United Kingdom has been a leader in providing us with additional land and air resources. This cooperation will continue,” assured Volodymyr Zelensky on Twitter.
France will send “dozens” of armored vehicles and light tanks to Ukraine
Even more armor and light tanks. France renewed its military support for Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Paris this Sunday. He was received by Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée. “In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10 RC,” said a joint statement after the dinner between the two leaders. State. In contrast, Volodymyr Zelensky did not get combat aircraft. This question remains “premature” in the eyes of the French government.
France had undertaken at the beginning of 2023 to cede AMX-10 RC to Ukraine, often used in reconnaissance missions. Some copies of these vehicles have already been present on the battlefield since the beginning of spring. But the number of copies promised by France has never been disclosed. Volodymyr Zelensky was stopping in Paris after going to Rome on Friday, where he met Pope Francis, then to Berlin and Aachen over the weekend.
France calls for new sanctions against Russia
After their dinner, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky called for new sanctions against Moscow. “Ukraine and France agree on the need to increase our collective pressure on Russia,” they said in a joint statement. These will make it possible “to weaken the capacity of this country to continue its war of illegal aggression”.
Following the Russian invasion in February 2022, the European Union imposed a number of sanctions on Moscow. For example, it has prohibited overflight of its airspace, and refused access to the territory for road carriers. Shipping of Russian crude oil is prohibited.
The Ukrainian army welcomes its offensive on the outskirts of Bakhmout
The Ukrainian army welcomed this Monday, May 15, its offensive on the outskirts of Bakhmout. “The advance of our troops” in this area is the “first success of the offensive” aimed at defending this city in the east of the country, said Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of Ukrainian ground troops.
The battle of Bakhmout is the bloodiest and longest since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. kyiv has been claiming for several days that it has made progress in its suburbs, a first for several months. She says she took over more than ten Russian positions. For its part, Moscow ensures that it is advancing within the very walls of Bakhmout, which it already controls in the majority.
Wagner allegedly offered to reveal the location of Russian troops to Ukraine
The offer is surprising. The Russian paramilitary group Wagner reportedly offered to reveal the location of Russian troops to the Ukrainian army, according to intelligence documents seen by the washington post. In exchange for this information, Ukraine should have withdrawn its soldiers from the Bakhmout area, where Wagner suffered heavy losses. In short: the lives of Wagner’s fighters against those of the Russian military.
According to the American daily, Evgueni Prigojine would have renewed his offer several times in January. kyiv would have always refused, fearing to fall into a trap. For months, the boss of Wagner has been in open conflict with the Russian hierarchy. He reproaches him for not delivering enough weapons to him, while his men are fighting on the front line in Bakhmout, in eastern Ukraine. Yevgueni Prigojine even threatened to leave the region, before Moscow gave in to blackmail by sending him new ammunition.