Joe Biden met, Thursday, February 22, in San Francisco, Youlia and Dasha Navalnaïa, the widow and daughter of the Russian opponent who died in prison Alexeï Navalny, saluting “a man of incredible courage”. He once again accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being “responsible for the death” of his opponent.
Information to remember
⇒ Macron organizes an international meeting in support of Ukraine on Monday in Paris
⇒ Biden meets Navalny’s widow and further sanctions Russia
⇒ On Fox News, Zelensky urges Republicans to vote for aid to Ukraine
Macron organizes an international meeting in support of Ukraine on Monday in Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron is organizing a meeting in support of Ukraine on Monday in Paris with leaders of other countries, two years after the start of the Russian offensive, the Elysée announced on Thursday.
It will bring together “several heads of state and government or their ministerial representatives, for a meeting in support of Ukraine”, indicated the French presidency. “This working meeting will make it possible to study the means available to strengthen the cooperation of partners in support of Ukraine,” she added without further details.
Biden meets Navalny’s widow, sanctions Russia again
“A man of incredible courage”: Joe Biden presented his condolences on Thursday to the widow and daughter of Alexeï Navalny, during a meeting in San Francisco, before the revelation by his administration of new sanctions targeting 500 entities linked to the Russian “war machine”. The American president, on the electoral campaign in California since Tuesday, spoke away from the press with Yulia and Dacha Navalnaïa. The latter, daughter of the Russian opponent who died on February 16 in detention, studies at Stanford University in California.
On Fox News, Zelensky urges Republicans to vote for aid to Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the US Congress to approve additional military aid to his country, during an interview broadcast Thursday on Fox News, the favorite channel of conservatives, who are currently blocking an envelope of 60 billion dollars.
Republican elected officials in the House of Representatives, particularly those close to Donald Trump, refuse to approve this new aid despite the insistence of the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden. “Will Ukraine survive without support from Congress? Of course. But not all of us,” Zelensky assured, referring to civilian casualties since the Russian invasion almost two years ago to the day.
The Twenty-Seven must do more to deliver ammunition
The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell has urged European Union (EU) member states to do more to ship munitions to Ukraine, which is suffering from an arms shortage in its war with Russia. Russia. “Ukrainian soldiers are determined to fight but they need ammunition. Urgently and in huge quantities,” Josep Borrell wrote to the Foreign and Defense Ministers of the Twenty-Seven in a letter dated Wednesday. “Delays in the delivery of ammunition have a cost in human lives and weaken Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” he admitted.
Ukraine: the IMF will disburse $880 million,
The IMF will disburse $880 million for Ukraine, corresponding to the third tranche of a $15.6 billion aid plan adopted in March 2023, the institution announced Thursday, almost two years to the day after the Russian invasion. This aid must still be approved by the board of directors of the International Monetary Fund. “The results of the (aid) program have been solid despite the difficulties of the war,” said Gavin Gray, head of the IMF team which held discussions in Warsaw with Ukrainian officials, in a statement from 17 to February 22, 2024.
Lavrov received by Lula after a G20 meeting, denounces “unfounded accusations” against Moscow
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, who accused Western countries of making “unfounded accusations” against Moscow and trying to “Ukrainize” the program of a meeting of the G20. Sergei Lavrov “explained Russia’s positions regarding the conflict in Ukraine”, declared the Brazilian government in a statement on the bilateral meeting organized in Brasília and concluded without comment to the press.
President Lula reiterated that “Brazil continues to be willing to collaborate in efforts for peace in Ukraine”, in a message on X. Lula opposes the policy of isolation of Moscow led by Washington since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, considering that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Western powers share responsibility for the war.
Galvanized by its successes in Ukraine, Russia celebrates its army
Galvanized by its recent military successes, Russia celebrates its “Defenders of the Fatherland” day on Friday, a tribute to the armed forces on the eve of the second anniversary of its assault on Ukraine.
Weakened by the blockage of American aid, the failure of its summer counter-offensive and a growing lack of ammunition, the Ukrainian army faces an “extremely difficult” situation on the front, according to the president’s own admission. Volodymyr Zelensky who had to resolve a week ago to cede the fortress town of Avdiïvka on the Eastern front. Like every year, Vladimir Putin will pay his respects at the tomb of the unknown soldier, in the shadow of the Kremlin walls, for “Defenders of the Fatherland Day.”
New US sanctions against Iran for its support of Russia
The United States will take “additional sanctions” against Iran due to Tehran’s support for the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, a White House spokesperson announced Thursday. “We will take additional sanctions against Iran in the coming days and we are prepared to go further if Iran supplies ballistic missiles to Russia,” John Kirby told reporters. “So far we have no confirmation of missile deliveries from Iran to Russia,” he said. The spokesperson, however, estimated that, according to the United States, Tehran had every intention of making such deliveries. If this were the case, “the response from the international community would be rapid and severe,” he assured.