As crucial negotiations begin this Tuesday between the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and elected representatives of Congress on the blocking of military aid to Ukraine, the French head of state called for a ” start” from Kiev’s allies.
For the first time, Emmanuel Macron did not exclude the option of sending Western troops to Ukraine, in order to ensure the “defeat” of Moscow, which he considered “indispensable for security and stability in Europe.
Information to remember
⇒ Macron calls for a “start” to ensure Putin’s “defeat”
⇒ EU ready to seize interests in frozen Russian assets
⇒ New Ukrainian strike in Belgorod
Joe Biden receives elected representatives of Congress
Joe Biden receives Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders at the White House this Tuesday, in the hope of unlocking $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. Thus, he will welcome Mike Johnson, the conservative President of the House, alongside his Democratic counterpart Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate officials, Chuck Schumer on the Democratic side, and Mitch McConnell on the Republican opposition side. Mike Johnson has so far refused to examine this bill which plans to unlock financial support for Ukraine and Israel as well as a reform of the American migration system.
“Now is the time to act. President Johnson cannot let politics or blind obedience to Donald Trump get in the way,” Chuck Schumer said in a letter after visiting Ukraine last week. As a reminder, the former President of the United States pushed his supporters in Congress to block this military aid. “There is a strong bipartisan majority in the House ready to pass this bill if it is presented,” assured White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on CNN.
In Europe, all eyes are also on this meeting. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Monday urged the speaker of the American House of Representatives to put military aid to Ukraine to a vote. “Please let democracy take its course,” he insisted during a visit to Washington.
Macron calls for a “start” to ensure Russia’s “defeat”
After a conference bringing together Ukraine’s allies in Paris, Emmanuel Macron called this Monday for a “start” to ensure the “defeat” of Russia, which he deemed “indispensable for security and stability in Europe” . The French head of state thus mentioned the commitment of these countries to “produce more” weapons, and announced the creation of a “coalition for deep strikes” in order to provide Kiev with “missiles and medium and long range bombs.
According to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, around fifteen countries have said they are ready to join a Prague initiative for the EU to buy munitions outside Europe to better support the Ukrainian war effort. France will participate, while Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte mentioned a contribution from his country of “more than 100 million euros” to this Czech plan.
In addition, the French president showed himself to be more offensive than ever by refusing to exclude the option of sending Western troops to Ukraine. “There is no consensus today to send ground troops in an official, assumed and endorsed manner,” he notes. “But dynamically, nothing should be excluded. We will do everything necessary so that Russia cannot win this war”, affirmed Emmanuel Macron, saying he was “assuming” a “strategic ambiguity”.
EU ready to seize interests in frozen Russian assets
Britain and the United States are calling for the seizure of billions of dollars of Russia’s banking and other assets, but they face resistance from European partners who fear such a move could incite further country to flee the West.
The Europeans, however, agree on a more “subtle” approach consisting of seizing the interests gained from Russian investments and assets, whether public or private, to create a fund for Ukraine, according to Spiros Lampridis, the Greece’s special envoy for Ukraine, during a visit to Washington. “I think it’s a matter of months,” the official said of the European Commission’s decision.
New Ukrainian strike in the Belgorod region
A “kamikaze drone” strike blamed on kyiv left three dead and three injured in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, the local governor said on Monday. This area is regularly subject to bombing. At the end of December, hundreds of people were evacuated from the city of Belgorod, the regional capital, after a strike which left 25 dead. It was the bloodiest attack on civilians in Russia since the start of the offensive against Ukraine.