Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Who did what? Who says what? Where are we ? The answer below:
news of the day
This is a first since February 24 and the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese president said he was ready to speak with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, as French diplomacy says he hopes. Xi Jinping welcomed Emmanuel Macron in Beijing for an interview that ended with calls for peace talks.
“I know I can count on you to bring Russia to their senses and bring everyone to the negotiating table,” the French leader said at a face-to-face meeting at the People’s Palace. We need “a resumption of talks as soon as possible in order to build a lasting peace”, estimated Emmanuel Macron at the end of the interview, while Xi Jinping called for “a resumption of peace talks as soon as possible”.
“Nuclear weapons must not be used,” said the Chinese leader, who condemned any “attack on civilians” and any “use of biological and chemical weapons.” “In this regard, everyone must be reminded of their obligations, especially Russia, which announced the other day that it wants to deploy such” nuclear “weapons in Belarus, “which does not comply with the obligations that you have made to us and international law, ”he added French President in press statements alongside Xi Jinping.
phrase of the day
We count on China not to supply military equipment to Russia, directly or indirectly, because we all know that arming the aggressor would be against international law and would seriously damage our relationship. »
These are the words of Ursula von der Leyen, who warned at a press conference in Beijing that a Chinese arms delivery to Russia in Ukraine would “significantly damage” relations between China and the European Union. The President of the European Commission also assessed it as “positive” that the Chinese President wanted to speak to his Ukrainian counterpart: “It was therefore interesting to hear that President Xi confirmed his willingness to speak when the conditions and time are right. I think that’s a positive thing. »
The number of the day
25. That’s how many years in prison it takes against opponent Vladimir Kara-Mourza, an emblematic case of total repression in Russia. He is the target of three serious charges: “treason”, spreading “false information” about the Russian army and working illegally for an “undesirable” organization. The total punishment required for these crimes is the most severe he has faced.
Vladimir Kara-Mourza, in custody since April 2022, is a longtime opponent of Vladimir Putin. He nearly died after he says he was poisoned twice, in 2015 and 2017, in attacks he blames on the Russian regime. According to his lawyer, the opponent suffers from polyneuropathy and neuromuscular pathology, a consequence of the two poisonings.
The trend of the day
The Ukrainian armed forces do not give up and inflict heavy casualties on the enemy. The head of Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigoyine, admitted his men continued to suffer casualties while visiting a cemetery that “continues to grow”. A video broadcast by his press service on Telegram shows him standing in front of dozens of tombs topped with crosses and wreaths of flowers laid on them.
“Wagner fighters continue to be buried here, and to this day that’s not a problem. We will improve it and make this cemetery a monument for future generations,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin. ” Yes, [le cimetière] becomes bigger. Sometimes those who fight die. That’s how life goes,” the Wagner boss launched again. Russia communicates very little about the losses it has suffered in Ukraine since the start of its offensive launched in February 2022.