Faced with the incessant discoveries of civilian corpses, the Pentagon has accused Russia of “cruelty” and “depravity” for the way its army behaves in Ukraine. The United States refuses besides to see Vladimir Putin at the G20 next November, whereas the invitation formulated by the president of Indonesia was accepted by the master of the Kremlin.
- Russia steps up pressure on Kharkiv to catch up
The Pentagon said Friday, April 29, that the Russian army was progressing “slowly and unevenly” in the Donbass region, falling behind schedule. Nevertheless, the pressure remains very strong in this region of eastern Ukraine. Violent explosions were heard overnight from Friday to Saturday in Kharkiv, a target for weeks of Russian artillery. The regional administration indicated that these bombings had caused at least one death and several injuries.
While he acknowledged the situation was “difficult”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his army was achieving “tactical successes” which were slowing down the Russian march. A delay denied by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who assures that “the special military operation is continuing according to plan despite the obstruction of our adversaries.”
- The United States refuses to see Putin at the G20
While Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced on Friday that he had invited his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian president to the G20 summit to be held in Bali in November, Washington said it “refused to deal with Vladimir Putin”. and act “as if nothing had happened”, while the Russian army is accused of committing war crimes on Ukrainian soil.
In this sense, the Pentagon accused the master of the Kremlin of “depravity” and “cruelty” for the way the Russian forces behaved during this war. A few hours earlier, Vladimir Putin had indicated that he accepted the invitation of the Indonesian president.
- Paris and Berlin determined to support Moldova
The French and German foreign ministers said they were determined to support Moldova in the face of the “risks of destabilization” it faces. A former Soviet republic neighboring Ukraine and not a member of NATO, Moldova fears for its security.
After an explosion in the Transnistria region, the Moldovan president urgently convened a national security council. Among the measures adopted, let us mention the strengthening of road controls, the multiplication of border patrols and new infrastructure protection measures.
- Foreign fighters and journalist killed
A 22-year-old former US Marine was killed in Ukraine where he left in mid-March to fight Russian forces, his family members said. “He wanted to go there because he believed in what Ukraine is fighting for, and he wanted to be part of it in order to contain the threat there and not make it all the way here,” his mother said. This Friday, the Pentagon asked American citizens “not to go” to this country.
Great Britain, for its part, announced the death of one of its nationals and the disappearance of another. The two men had gone to fight as volunteers in the Ukrainian army. The British Ministry of Defense has also announced that 8,000 of its soldiers will take part in exercises in Eastern Europe this summer alongside NATO forces, in a “show of solidarity and strength”.
In a press release published on its website, the media Radio Liberty announced the death of the Ukrainian journalist Vira Ghyrytch, killed in kyiv during the bombardment planned by the Russians during the visit of the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres.