Today
Saturday 17 June 2023
16:35
NATO MEMBERSHIP
Joe Biden reiterated this Saturday that he has no intention of making it easier for Ukraine to join NATO. Asked by journalists if he intends to make Kiev’s membership in the alliance “easier”, the US President replied “no” and assured that Ukraine must “respect all criteria”. “So we’re not going to take it easy on ourselves,” he said.
14:32
MEDIATION
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Russia at the head of a delegation of African mediators in the Ukraine conflict after visiting Kiev the day before, the South African Presidency announced.
“President Ramaphosa has arrived in Saint Petersburg,” in northwestern Russia, where he is due to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin before holding a meeting with the group of African mediators, the South African presidency said.
10:56
DRONE ATTACK
Russia said Saturday it repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil refinery in the Briansk region bordering Ukraine.
“Overnight, Russian air defense systems in the Novozybkov district repelled an attack by Ukrainian forces on the Druzhba oil refinery,” Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk region, wrote on Telegram. “Thanks to the professionalism of our soldiers.” […]”Three drones were destroyed.”
09:59
LCI IN THE FIELD
Earlier this week, four Ukrainians were killed in a shelling on a residential building in the Dnepropetrovsk region. The survivors are still in shock, some of them feeling “the urge to take revenge”. LCI met several of them.
International
Posted today at 9:53am.
09:52
RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER WANTS TO MAKE MORE TANKS
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Saturday called for the production of more tanks to meet the needs of the Russian army when deployed in Ukraine. The Russian military said in a statement that they had “set the goal of further increasing tank production”.
According to the minister, this increase is necessary to “meet the needs of the Russian armed forces performing the tasks of the special military operation,” the press release said. According to the same source, Sergei Shoigu also emphasized the need to improve the security of armored vehicles and their crews.
08:17
THE AFRICAN DELEGATION IN RUSSIA
After Kiev, the African delegation travels to St. Petersburg, where Vladimir Putin is expecting them during the day, one day after Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected his offer of mediation.
The delegation, led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, offered peace in the conflict the day before their mediation, vowing from the Ukrainian capital that there should be “de-escalation on both sides”. She was rebuffed by the Ukrainian leader, who denounced “a deception” by Moscow amid a counter-offensive by its forces.
08:08
UPDATE ON THE SITUATION
Ukrainian forces are attempting to regain ground in the country’s east and south, but Vladimir Putin says the counteroffensive has “no chance” of success. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the mediation proposal of an African delegation. Back to the highlights of the last 24 hours.
International
Posted today at 7:47am.
07:00
Putin on Zelenskyy: “A shame for the Jewish people”
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, “a disgrace to the Jewish people”. “I have had many Jewish friends since I was a child. They say that Zelenskyy is not a Jew, but a disgrace to the Jewish people. This is no joke,” he said during an economic forum in St. Petersburg.
Vladimir Putin has again accused Ukraine’s president of “portraying these bastards as neo-Nazis” and treating Nazi collaborators in World War II as heroes.
06:52
Hello and welcome to TF1info for following the news surrounding the war in Ukraine this Saturday 17th June 2023.