Comforted by Russian successes in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is due to deliver his speech to the nation on Thursday February 29, a highly publicized annual high mass during which he defines Russia’s priorities, two weeks before a presidential election that he should win without surprise. The Russian president appears in better shape than a year ago, when his army was subject to humiliating retreats in the south and northeast of Ukraine, after an abortive attempt to seize Kiev in the spring 2022.
Information to remember
⇒ Putin will address the nation
⇒ Transdniestrian separatists demand “protection” from Russia
⇒ Ukraine warns against ‘destructive external interference’
Putin will address the nation
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to discuss the themes of the speech, saying only that the president wrote it personally. Vladimir Putin, for his part, declared that his speech would “of course” take into account the presidential election organized from March 15 to 17 and would make it possible to set “objectives for the next six years at least”: the duration of the mandate of the head of the state in Russia.
A countdown has been launched on Russian public television in anticipation of his speech which will take place from 12:00 p.m. (09:00 GMT) at Gostiny Dvor, a congress center located near Red Square in Moscow. Security measures have been reinforced in the center of Moscow and large police forces have been set up in the streets surrounding the speech venue, noted an AFP journalist.
Moldova: Transdniestrian separatists demand “protection” from Russia
The authorities of Transdniestria, a pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova, asked Russia on Wednesday for “protective measures” in the face of the “increased pressure” exerted by Chisinau, against a backdrop of tensions exacerbated by the conflict in neighboring Ukraine .
Russian diplomacy quickly responded, ensuring that it had as a “priority” the “protection” of the inhabitants of Transdniestria and adding that Moscow would “carefully examine” Tiraspol’s request, without giving further details.
Ukraine warns against ‘destructive external interference’
Ukrainian diplomacy warned on Wednesday against any “destructive external interference” in Transdniestria. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called in a statement “for a peaceful resolution of economic, social and humanitarian issues between (Moldova) and (Transdniestria), without any destructive external interference”, a barely veiled allusion to Russia.
The United States said on Wednesday it supported the “sovereignty” of Moldova. “The United States strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
G20: Brazil calls for a “new globalization”
Brazil called for “a new globalization” on Wednesday at a G20 meeting in Sao Paulo, pleading for the reduction of inequalities at a time when more immediate concerns focus on the impact of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza on ‘Mondial economy.
“We must take into account climate change and poverty as truly global challenges, which must be faced through a new globalization” based on “social and environmental principles”, declared the Minister of Finance of Brazil , Fernando Haddad.
McConnell to step down as Republican leader
Undisputed leader of the Republicans in the Senate, veteran of American politics and ardent defender of aid to Ukraine, Mitch McConnell created a surprise on Wednesday by announcing that he would leave office in November. “I stand before you today […] to tell you that this mandate will be my last as leader of the Republicans”, declared the 82-year-old elected official during a speech to Congress. This surprise speech was greeted by standing ovations from elected officials of both edges in the hemicycle of the upper room.