DIRECT. War in Ukraine: ten European leaders ponder the consequences of EU enlargement

2023-06-30 15:41:55

15:35

A major counter-offensive in the Bakhmout region, according to American experts

American experts from the Institute for War Studies (ISW) report a large-scale counter-offensive by the Ukrainian army in the Bakhmout region. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar announced on Thursday that she had advanced more than a kilometer towards the villages of Klichtchiïvka and Kurdyumivka, in the Donetsk region.

15:29

Zaporizhia nuclear power plant: the Russians are “gradually leaving” the premises, according to the SBU

Russian occupation forces stationed at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant are “gradually leaving” the premises amid the growing threat of sabotage from Russia, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence (SBU), quoted by The Kyiv Independent.

Among the first to leave the plant were three officials from the Russian nuclear company Rosatom, who had led Russian personnel at the plant, according to the SBU report. Ukrainians who had previously signed a contract with Rosatom were told to evacuate by July 5. The report also could not be independently verified. However, he joins the fears of kyiv which accuses Russia of planning a “terrorist” attack against the nuclear power plant, according to The mirror.

15:19

Ukrainian troops would advance “in all directions”

According to Hanna Maliar, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defence, “in the east and in the south, we have taken the strategic initiative and we are moving in all directions”.

14:58

Soft wheat prices down in France

This is one of the economic issues parallel to the war in Ukraine. In just one month (between April and May), the prices of soft wheat, the bread cereal, fell by 9.8%, indicates INSEE. A decline which is explained in particular by “favorable growing conditions in Russia and in the European Union and the extension of the agreement authorizing exports from Ukraine and Russia by the Black Sea”, specifies the French statistics institute.

14:43

Denmark to increase aid to Ukraine

The country will release an additional 1.3 billion crowns (174 million euros) to kyiv, mainly intended to finance air defense equipment, ammunition and vehicles, the Ministry of Defense announced.

13:44

Ten European leaders ponder the consequences of EU enlargement

Ten European leaders met this Friday morning in Brussels, on the sidelines of the EU summit, to examine the consequences of an enlargement of the bloc to Ukraine, with the stated desire to avoid being in “denial on the profound changes needed.

“We are not talking about enlargement as such but about the consequences it has on the 27”, explained a French diplomatic source, referring to this first informal meeting, at the initiative of France, Germany and the Netherlands.

13:30

Wagner’s future in Africa will depend on the ‘countries involved’, says Lavrov

The future of the presence in Africa of the paramilitary group Wagner, at the origin of an aborted rebellion in Russia, will depend on the “countries concerned”, affirmed this Friday the head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov, at a time when pressure Western ones are multiplying.

“The fate of these arrangements between African countries and the Wagner Group is first and foremost a matter for the governments of the countries concerned to decide whether or not to pursue this form of cooperation,” Sergei Lavrov told an online briefing.

The future of Wagner, who fought in Ukraine and whose presence has been attested in several African countries but also in Syria, is in question after the 24-hour rebellion led in Russia by his boss, Evguéni Prigojine.

13:05

Russians arrested in Poland: Moscow “strongly protests” and demands “explanations”

Russia “strongly protested” this Friday against the arrest of 14 Russian citizens in Poland accused of having participated in a “spy network” including a hockey player, a case for which Moscow demanded “explanations”. “We express our strong protest against Warsaw. We demand that an immediate and full explanation be provided to Russia,” said Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, quoted by the TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies.

12:05

Macron quits EU summit in Brussels and cancels final press conference

Emmanuel Macron left the European Union summit in Brussels this Friday before its end and, very rarely, canceled his final press conference to return to Paris to chair a crisis meeting on the riots in France.

The French president must be back in Paris at 1 p.m. for a meeting of the interministerial crisis unit after three consecutive nights of urban violence. Traditionally, the German Chancellor represents the French Head of State in his absence for the rest of the European Council.

11:30

Kazakhstan denounces attempts to recruit its citizens into the Russian army

Kazakhstan has recognized for the first time attempts to enlist its citizens in the Russian army to fight in Ukraine, a sensitive subject in this Central Asian country allied with Moscow but wishing to remain neutral in this war. “We have observed in our region attempts to recruit the local population to the Russian Federation to participate in the armed conflict in Ukraine,” the prosecutor of the Kostanai region (north) said in a statement Thursday evening. This immense region, with an area equal to one third of France, borders Russia and more than 40% of the approximately 880,000 inhabitants are of Russian origin.

11:10

In Libya, drone strikes against a base used by Wagner in the East

Drone strikes of unknown origin targeted, overnight from Thursday to Friday, an air base in eastern Libya where mercenaries from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner were located, without causing any casualties, according to a military source. . Libya has been in the throes of a major political crisis since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, plagued by divisions between East and West and by foreign interference. Hundreds of Wagner members remained active in the east, the area of ​​the oil terminals, and in southern Libya after the departure of part of their personnel to Mali or to Ukraine to fight alongside the Russian army.

10:40

Russia will be ‘stronger’ after Wagner’s rebellion, says Lavrov

Russia will be “stronger” after the abortive rebellion of the Wagner group, which shook Russian power last week, assured Friday its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov. “Russia has always emerged more solid, stronger, from all difficulties (…) This will still be the case this time. We already feel that this process has started,” he told a press conference in Moscow.

10:36

Player suspected of espionage arrested in Poland

A Russian hockey player suspected of spying for Russia has been arrested in Poland, where he played in the national championship, the government announced on Friday.

“The man who is detained is a professional sportsman from a first division hockey club,” the same source said, adding that the suspect had resided in Poland since 2021.

10:14

Macron in Germany on Sunday to iron out differences

Germany receives Emmanuel Macron on Sunday for a two-day state visit, the first reserved for a French president since 2000, which should help to reunite the Franco-German couple. Multiple tensions have recently tarnished this beautiful agreement, from nuclear power to CO2 emissions from cars, the reform of the European electricity market, including relations with Washington and the design of a Europe of defense once again becoming a burning news since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

09:46

Support for Ukraine discussed these Thursdays and Fridays by the Twenty-Seven

09:25

Violence in France: Macron could leave the EU summit

Emmanuel Macron will chair a new interministerial crisis cell at 1 p.m. in Paris, for the second time in two days, after a third night of violence in France in the wake of the death of a teenager killed by a police officer, announced the ‘Elysium.

The head of state, who has been in Brussels since Thursday for a European summit, could therefore have to shorten his presence and return before the end, if the discussions with his counterparts are not over. He must hold a press conference before leaving the Council of the European Union.

09:10

EU summit: the thorny European budget not on the agenda… but in all discussions

The European Commission has proposed a €66 billion increase in the EU budget to fund support for Ukraine, migration policy and aid to industry. Meeting in Brussels, the Twenty-Seven remain divided at this stage. Our article.

08:45

The protection of Russian deserters at stake before the National Court for the Right of Asylum

Should France grant refugee status to Russian soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine? This is, in essence, the question posed Thursday to the National Court of Asylum (CNDA), which must adopt in July a doctrine on the subject. A “large panel” of nine judges considered on Thursday the request of Magomedrasul Iusupov, 28, presenting himself as a deserter from the Russian army since 2019, who received two summonses in connection with the war in Ukraine . At first instance, the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra) rejected his asylum request, casting doubts on the veracity of his account. The CNDA is due to issue its decision on July 20.

08:30

Sanchez to launch Spanish EU Presidency with visit to Kyiv

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will travel to Kyiv on Saturday to reiterate the EU’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine on the first day of his country’s rotating EU Council Presidency from July 1. The announcement of this visit was made Thursday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during an exchange by videoconference with the 27 leaders of the European Union meeting at the summit in Brussels.

Pedro Sánchez REUTERS/Juan Medina.

08:15

Greta Thunberg criticizes the lack of international reaction to the “ecocide” in Ukraine

Visiting Kyiv, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg criticized what she said was an international lack of response to “ecocide” in Ukraine after severe flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

“Ecocide and environmental destruction is a form of warfare. Ukrainians know this only too well, as does Russia. That’s why they are deliberately attacking the environment,” the activist said.

Greta Thunberg. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi

08:00

Hello everyone !

Welcome to this direct dedicated to Ukraine and its consequences.