While Ukraine is pressuring NATO to obtain more weapons, the allied countries are meeting this April 21 in Germany to coordinate their aid. Between insufficient stocks and fears of escalation, they are no more cautious than kyiv would like. It ensures that it is currently preparing a major counter-offensive, and is asking for as much support as possible, including from Latin American countries. President Volodymyr Zelensky offered them a new summit.
Moscow is also trying to seduce across the Atlantic. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Lavrov ended his tour of Latin America with a visit to Havana. He thanked the Cuban government for “its full understanding” of the situation in Ukraine. Focus on the conflict.
Ukraine’s allies meet to coordinate military aid
The allied countries of Ukraine gather this April 21 in Germany to coordinate their military aid to kyiv, which says it is preparing a major counter-offensive. Organized at the Ramstein base by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the meeting will also take place in the presence of Jens Stoltenberg, head of NATO.
The latter has just returned from kyiv, where he met on April 19 with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian head of state is constantly calling on Westerners to deliver more armor, artillery, combat aircraft and long-range firing systems to hit Russian warehouses behind the front line .
The Europeans and Americans have shown themselves to be more cautious than kyiv would have liked. At issue: insufficient stocks, fear of escalation and logistical problems. Volodymyr Zelensky urged Jens Stoltenberg to “overcome the reluctance of (our) partners regarding the delivery of certain weapons”.
The international community’s support for Ukraine “remains strong” and Kiev’s allies are “more united than ever” in their support “for the forces of freedom”, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Friday.
“This Contact Group is more united and more comprehensive than ever in its support for the forces of freedom in Ukraine,” Lloyd Austin said as he opened a meeting in Germany to coordinate military aid to Ukrainian troops.
Two injured in Russia after ammunition fell from a fighter plane
Two women were injured and a huge crater was formed in the Russian city of Belgorod, close to the Ukrainian border, due to a Russian warplane. Moscow said on April 20 that its plane lost ammunition over Belgorod, creating a powerful explosion.
Russian planes have been making regular sorties over Belgorod since the start of the war in February 2022. Citing an interim toll, the region’s governor said a woman had been hospitalized with a head injury, while a another had been treated on the spot.
Lavrov thanks Cuba for its “full understanding” of the Ukrainian conflict
Visiting Havana, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov thanked the Cuban government for its “full understanding” of the conflict in Ukraine. “We appreciate the fact that, from the start of the special military operation, our Cuban friends […] have clearly expressed their position and their full understanding in their assessment of the reasons that have led to the current situation,” Sergei Lavrov said during a meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez.
Wednesday evening during the arrival of the head of Russian diplomacy in Havana, the American embassy, located on the seafront, was illuminated with the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Sergei Lavrov, who also met with President Miguel Diaz-Canel and his predecessor Raul Castro on Thursday, condemned the “illegal and illegitimate” US embargo against Cuba, and said his country had also “been subject to US sanctions […] long before current events.
Cuba has been subject to an economic embargo from Washington for more than 60 years, tightened by Donald Trump when he came to power in 2017, without his successor Joe Biden reversing these sanctions. Moscow has been under sanctions from the United States, Canada and the European Union since the start of the invasion in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky proposes a summit with Latin America
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for Mexico’s support on April 20 to organize a summit with Latin American countries, a few days after Brazilian President Lula’s controversial remarks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Ukraine has already offered the Latin American community to hold a special summit and show its unity ‘in favor’ of territorial integrity, peace and respect among peoples,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video call to Mexican MPs. “I think with the help of Mexico it could be done much faster,” he added.
The Mexican government passed United Nations resolutions condemning the Russian invasion. On the other hand, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador refused to impose economic sanctions on Moscow, saying he was seeking to promote dialogue.
Ukraine reaffirms its desire to join NATO
While Ukraine is still preparing its counter-offensive, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has announced that Ukraine’s entry into the alliance will be discussed at the Vilnius summit on July 11 and 12. , during a surprise visit to Kiev. “It is time” for NATO to invite Ukraine, retorted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also asking Stoltenberg “to [l’]help overcome resistance [des] partners regarding the delivery of “long-range” weapons, modern aviation, artillery, armored vehicles.
“The future of Ukraine is in the Euro-Atlantic family, the future of Ukraine is in NATO. At the same time, the main objective of the Alliance, of the allies, is to ensure that Ukraine wins,” said Jens Stoltenberg in Kiev. For its part, Brussels announced, on Wednesday, new financial aid of 100 million euros to the countries of Eastern Europe which blocked the import of Ukrainian cereals.
The Russian fleet has completed its surprise exercises in the Pacific
The Russian fleet ended this Thursday, April 20 its surprise exercises in the Pacific, announced last week, in full rapprochement with China. “These exercises confirmed the high level of military readiness of the Pacific Fleet to fulfill missions aimed at repelling aggression from a possible enemy,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
He then specified that more than 25,000 soldiers, 89 planes and helicopters, as well as 167 ships participated in these maneuvers spread over a week. The fleet practiced repelling airstrikes. Other exercises consisted of detecting submarines, destroying them and firing missiles, artillery and torpedoes, during maneuvers in “designated areas” of the seas of Japan, Orkhotsk and Bering. . These exercises took place during a visit to Russia by the Chinese Minister of Defense, Li Shangfu. He was received last Sunday by Vladimir Putin.
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