After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (October 23rd) rejected Moscow’s accusations that kyiv intended to use a “dirty bomb”, General Igor Kirillov, in charge of radioactive substances, chemical and biological products in the Russian army , reiterated his accusations on Monday, saying that the manufacture of such a bomb by the Ukrainians, who would later accuse Russia of having used it, had “entered its final stage”. NATO and the West are trying to prevent a new escalation.
“NATO Allies reject this allegation. Russia must not use this as a pretext for an escalation” of the conflict in Ukraine, NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg tweeted on Monday evening after speaking with Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin and UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. Paris, London and Washington had previously lambasted Moscow’s “false” statements together on Monday. In the United States, the pressure is growing on Biden, called to adjust his strategy in Ukraine.
- Democratic lawmakers call on Biden to adjust his strategy on Ukraine
Representatives of the left wing of the American Democratic Party on Monday asked President Joe Biden, who has released billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, to increase diplomatic efforts and to engage in direct talks with Moscow with one goal: a quick end to the war. This is the first time that such a call has come from the president’s own party.
“We call on you to complement the economic and military support that the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic impulse, and to redouble our efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire,” they said. said the elected officials in their letter, making it clear that they were against the “illegal and outrageous” invasion of Ukraine and that any solution would have to be approved by kyiv. “But as legislators responsible for how tens of billions of American taxpayer dollars are spent in military assistance in the conflict, we believe that such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues,” they added. Among them are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal, figures of the progressive wing of the party.
Since the invasion began, the Biden administration has disbursed tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, with bipartisan agreement in Congress, though some of the right-wing aid from Republicans protested. An influential Republican elected official recently warned that his party would not sign a “blank check” to Ukraine if it wins, as polls predict, the majority of seats in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.
- The IAEA will inspect sites on site
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to “urgently send experts” to the two structures where Russia “misleadingly claims” that the Ukraine is developing a “dirty bomb”. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, confirmed a visit “in the coming days” in a press release Monday evening, specifying that one of the two places had been inspected “a month ago” and that “no nuclear activity undeclared had been found there”.
The ‘dirty bomb’ allegations come as Russian forces are struggling on multiple fronts in Ukraine, having lost thousands of square kilometers in the northeast in September and now retreating in the southern Kherson region, where the Russian occupation authorities organize evacuations of the population. The Ukrainian command announced on Monday that it had taken over 90 localities in total in the Kherson region, one of the four territories of Ukraine which Moscow claimed for annexation in September, and four villages in the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk (east) .
- German president’s surprise visit to Ukraine
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in kyiv on Tuesday, his spokesperson told AFP, confirming his surprise visit to Ukraine. “I look forward to my meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in kyiv and with the population in the north of the country, where I want to get an idea of their life in the midst of the war, he said, according to a text sent by Spokesperson. My message to Ukrainians: You can count on Germany! We will continue to support Ukraine: militarily, politically, financially and humanitarianly.”
Before meeting Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Steinmeier will go to the small town of Korjukiwa, in the north of the country, near the Belarusian border, which had been occupied by Russian troops. This city which is now liberated must face the cold, while its infrastructures are destroyed. The German president will provide aid to the municipality for its energy infrastructure.
- 165 ships intended for the transport of cereals delayed
Ukraine on Monday accused Russia of deliberately delaying more than 165 ships destined to transport grain near the Bosphorus Strait by prolonging inspections carried out under an agreement reached on these crucial deliveries for many African and Asian countries. .
“Since October 14, 2022, Russian inspectors assigned to the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul have significantly extended the inspection of vessels heading to Ukrainian ports to receive grain or which have already been loaded and are on their way for their final destination,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Ukrainian ministry, the delays concern three million tonnes of grain intended to supply 10 million people. He accused Moscow of “undermining global food security” and called on the international community to put pressure on Moscow.
- Iran will not remain “indifferent” if Moscow uses its drones in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia had ordered “about 2,000 Iranian Shaheds”, suicide drones, to support its invasion of Ukraine. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country would not remain “indifferent” if it were proven that Russia is using Iranian-made drones in Ukraine.
“In the war in Ukraine (…) we are against arming both Russia and Ukraine, he explained in video statements published by local media, denying having supplied weapons and drones to Moscow While acknowledging defense cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, the Iranian minister reaffirmed his country’s desire to hold direct talks with Ukraine on this subject, explaining that he had sent a message to this effect to the head of the diplomacy of the European Union (EU) Josep Borrell.