A few weeks before the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, kyiv’s main allies are trying to maintain tension over military support. Friday February 9, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be in Washington to discuss this issue. At the same time, fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, where Russia accuses kyiv of drone attacks on the Belgorod border region.
Information to remember:
⇒ Russia says it has foiled a new Ukrainian drone attack
⇒ The German Chancellor will be in the United States on Friday February 9
⇒ Moscow accuses Paris of supplying kyiv with “increasingly destructive and deadly weapons”.
Tensions between Paris and Moscow as Macron’s visit to Ukraine approaches
As a visit by the French president to Ukraine approaches, Paris is raising its tone vis-à-vis Russia, which it accuses of leading an increased campaign of disinformation and of being responsible for the death of two humanitarian workers near the front line. Tensions between the two countries have risen a notch in recent weeks over Ukraine, with Moscow castigating the French “militarist frenzy” after the promise of new arms deliveries to kyiv.
The Russian Ambassador to France Alexeï Mechkov was summoned Monday to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which reiterated the condemnation of the Russian strikes which killed two French humanitarian workers in Ukraine last Thursday and denounced “the resurgence of disinformation targeting France”, according to the Quai d’Orsay. The Russian embassy, for its part, indicated that Alexeï Mechkov denounced during this interview “the irresponsibility and the danger of the increasing involvement of Paris in the Ukrainian conflict”.
German Chancellor in the United States to discuss support for Ukraine
Support for Ukraine will be at the center of talks on Friday February 9 between President Joe Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will arrive in Washington crowned with the recent release of vital European aid for kyiv while the American package remains on hold.
As the deadly offensive launched by Russia enters its third year, the two men will reaffirm their unwavering support for kyiv, indicate the two executives. “We look forward to discussing all ways to continue this effort,” said a US official on condition of anonymity.
The meeting comes as Joe Biden, campaigning for a second term, and the Republican opposition are negotiating at loggerheads a new text aimed at financing military aid for an amount of some 60 billion dollars to Kiev and, at the same time, toughen US migration policy. In this regard, the Chancellor plans to “also discuss with members of Congress”, according to his spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit. Washington, the largest contributor of financial and military aid to Ukraine, and Germany, which claims second position, have until now always moved forward in tandem on this conflict.
Russia says it foiled Ukrainian drone attack in the West
Russia claimed Tuesday morning, February 6, to have thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack that occurred overnight in the Belgorod region (west), bordering Ukraine. An attack carried out by kyiv “using seven drones against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was prevented,” the Defense Ministry reported on the Telegram social network.
“All Ukrainian drones were intercepted” by local air defense, according to the same source, which mentioned neither the exact location of the attack nor any possible damage or injuries. kyiv has increased its attacks on Russian territory in recent months and generally focuses on border regions such as Belgorod.
Ukraine: baby killed in Russian strike
A two-month-old baby was killed and three women were injured Tuesday in a Russian strike in northeastern Ukraine, the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, announced. “Around 2:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT), a three-story hotel was destroyed in Zolochiv […]following two S-300 missile strikes by the Russian occupiers, the official said on Telegram.
Ukraine: intelligence official fired after wiretapping journalists
A senior official of the Ukrainian intelligence services (SBU) was dismissed following the wiretapping of journalists from an investigative media revealed in January, a source within these told AFP on Monday, January 5. services. In January, the Ukrainian authorities announced the opening of an investigation into the “illegal wiretapping and video recording” of journalists from the Bihus Info media, known in Ukraine for its anti-corruption investigations.
The affair provoked a reaction even from President Volodymyr Zelensky, who considered that “any pressure on journalists was unacceptable”. “The head of the SBU department for state protection, Roman Sementchenko, was fired because of the surveillance of the Bihus Info editorial staff,” a source within the SBU told AFP, who said: spoke on condition of anonymity. According to her, the decision to dismiss was taken by the head of the SBU and validated by President Zelensky.