⇒ 4:50 p.m. [DEPARTURES] Agreement of Europeans to grant “temporary protection” to refugees
European interior ministers, meeting in Brussels on Thursday, agreed to grant “temporary protection” in the EU to refugees “fleeing the war” in Ukraine, French Minister Gérald Darmanin and EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson announced.
They did not immediately specify whether the measure would also apply to refugees fleeing Ukraine but not having Ukrainian nationality, an issue that divides the Member States, some (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or Austria) being opposed to it.
⇒ 4:15 p.m. [UKRAINE] Nine dead in Russian strike on the city of Chernigiv
Nine people were killed in a Russian strike on two schools and homes in the Ukrainian city of Chernigiv in northern Ukraine, said Vyacheslav Chaous, the region’s governor. “The Russian air force attacked two schools in the Stara Podsoudovka district, the rescuers are working. According to the emergency services, a preliminary toll reports nine dead and four injured,” he wrote on his Telegram account, posting photos and a video of crumbling buildings.
⇒ 16:00 [NEGOTIATIONS] Start of Russia-Ukraine talks on the Belarusian-Polish border
Talks between Russia and Ukraine on the border between Belarus and Poland have begun, reveals ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podoliak. “We are starting to talk to russian representatives. The key points on the agenda are an immediate ceasefire, an armistice and humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from destroyed or constantly bombed towns and villages,” he said, posting on Twitter a photo of members of the two delegations at the negotiating table.
⇒ 3:50 p.m. [SANCTIONS] Canada imposes 35% import duties on Russian and Belarusian products
Canada will revoke the special trade status of Russia and Belarus and thus impose 35% import duties on products from both countries, announced Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. “Russia and Belarus will no longer enjoy the benefits, especially low tariffs, that Canada offers to other World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries,” she said at a press conference, adding that until now, only North Korea has been subject to this regime.
⇒ 3:30 p.m. [MEDIA] Opposition TV channel Dojd announces suspension of work
The opposition TV channel Dozhd says it is suspending its work, after being blocked by the Russian regulator who accuses it of its way of covering the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow troops. “We need strength, to breathe a little and understand how to keep working. We really hope that we will come back on the air and continue working,” channel director Natalia Sindeeva was quoted as saying on Dozhd’s Telegram account.
⇒ 3:15 p.m. [RUSSIA] Putin wants to “take control of all Ukraine,” the Élysée announces
Emmanuel Macron thinks that “the worst is yet to come” in Ukraine after his exchange with Vladimir Putin, who expressed “his very great determination” to continue his offensive, whose goal is “to take control” of the whole country.
In a 1:30 a.m. telephone discussion at his request, the Russian president told his French counterpart that the Russian army’s operation was developing “according to the plan” planned by Moscow and that it would “worsen” if the Ukrainians did not accept his conditions.
⇒ 15:07 [EUROPE] Poland increases its military budget to 3% of GDP
The Polish government has announced that it will increase its military budget to 3% of GDP, up from 2.2%. A way to respond to the threat posed by Russia to a region where all countries have been increasing the sums spent on defense since 2018. Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced that this figure would continue to rise in the coming years.
⇒ 2:35 p.m. [RUSSIA] Putin expressed his “disagreement” with Emmanuel Macron
Vladimir Putin expressed his intention to continue “without compromise” his offensive against “nationalists” in Ukraine, in a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Kremlin. During the talks, Putin also expressed his “disagreement” with yesterday’s speech by the French head of state on Ukraine and threatened to add “additional demands” to his already long list of demands on Kiev for talks, which are about to begin.
⇒ 2:05 p.m. [UKRAINE] Russia would prepare a siege of the port of Mariupol
The last Ukrainian-held stronghold on the coast east of Crimea, Mariupol is in danger of being besieged, according to local authorities. The city’s mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian and pro-Russian forces of wanting to isolate the port city to prevent evacuations and block ravaging.
“They destroyed the bridges, destroyed the trains to prevent us from taking out our women, children and the elderly. They prevent us from sourcing. They seek to impose a blockade, as in Leningrad,” the Soviet city now saint Petersburg, besieged for 900 days by the Nazis, said Vadym Boychenko.
⇒ 1:42 p.m. [REFUGEES] Ukrainian delegation wants to negotiate “humanitarian corridors” with Russia
The Ukrainian delegation wants “at least” to obtain “humanitarian corridors” during the negotiations scheduled today with Russia, in order to help the populations victims of the bombings. “In two hours, we will start (negotiations, Editor’s note). The program at a minimum: humanitarian corridors. The rest will be depending on the circumstances,” said one of the Ukrainian negotiators David Arakhamia.
⇒ 1:25 p.m. [FRANCE] “Diplomatic exchanges with Russia are essential,” says Jean Castex
The prime minister said diplomatic exchanges between France and Russia were “indispensable.” “Emmanuel Macron spoke with the Russian president, at the request of Vladimir Putin. The two presidents discussed humanitarian issues. It appears that Vladimir Putin is sticking to his positions, a surrender of Ukraine,” said Jean Castex, who denounced an “unacceptable” demand.
However, there is no question for the executive to abandon diplomatic negotiations: “We are in a logic of de-escalation and the search for peace through dialogue. It’s very difficult,” he said.
Regarding people who have fled the war, the Prime Minister announced that France and Europe would “offer a mechanism” to people who have left their country in order to “automatically” grant them refugee status.
⇒ 1:15 p.m. [CONFLICT] Nuclear threat hangs over “all of humanity”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned the international community of the nuclear threat to “all of humanity” following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The rise in the alert level of nuclear weapons underscores the seriousness of the risks facing all of humanity,” Bachelet told the Human Rights Council.
The IAEA Board of Governors, the UN nuclear watchdog, also adopted a resolution calling on Russia to “immediately cease actions against Ukrainian nuclear sites”, endangered by the raging war.
⇒ 12:45 p.m. [FRANCE] Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin
President Emmanuel Macron spoke again on Thursday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and then called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The exchange with the Russian president, which lasted 1 hour 30 minutes according to the presidency, is the third between the two men since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army on February 24.
⇒ 12:30 p.m. [ECONOMY] Ikea suspends operations in Russia and Belarus: 15,000 employees affected
Swedish furniture giant Ikea announces, in response to the war in Ukraine, the suspension of its activities in Russia and Belarus, affecting nearly 15,000 employees, 17 stores and three production sites. “The war has a huge human impact and is also resulting in serious disruptions to the production and trade chain, which is why the group companies have decided to temporarily suspend Ikea’s activities in Russia,” the group said. Apple, Disney and ExxonMobil had already announced their withdrawal from the country.
⇒ 12:20 p.m. [UN] $1.5 billion raised for Ukraine
“For God’s sake, protect civilians” in Ukraine and “let us do our job,” the UN humanitarian aid official told Ukrainian and especially Russian belligerents involved in the war in Ukraine.
“Now that we have the resources to do the work, we need the parties to the conflict to allow us to do so and fulfil their responsibilities under international humanitarian law,” Griffiths said in Geneva, noting that thanks to the generosity of donors, the UN had raised $1.5 billion (more than €1.3 billion) in two days out of the €1.7 billion in emergency aid requested.
⇒ 12:10 p.m. [TRIBUNE] Antoine Arjakovsky details the deep religious sources of the conflict
In this text, historian Antoine Arjakovsky details the deep religious sources of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Confrontations between the different Orthodox Churches have shaped the history of the two nations and Putin relies on Patriarch Kirill to justify the invasion of the neighboring country.
⇒ 12:00 p.m.: Update on the situation
► Prime Minister Jean Castex is due to speak to TF1’s 1 p.m. news to clarify the contours of the resilience plan announced Wednesday by Emmanuel Macron.
► At noon will sound the bumblebee “Emmanuel” of Notre-Dame de Paris, in communion with other cathedrals, to call for peace in Europe.
► $1.5 billion has already been raised by the UN for emergency aid to Ukraine. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) counted exactly 1,038,583 refugees this morning.
⇒ 11:45 a.m. [DEPARTURES] Some 600 French people leaving or in the process of leaving Ukraine
Some 600 French people have left or are in the process of leaving Ukraine, out of the thousand who were still there at the beginning of the week, said Thursday the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian. “We follow them individually, each car. They are all in direct contact with the crisis center and our embassy,” the minister said.
“I always advise our nationals to leave by the southern way” of Kiev, said the head of French diplomacy. A path also taken by the French ambassador to Ukraine, who arrived Wednesday evening in Lviv, the new headquarters of the French diplomatic representation in this country.
⇒ 11:30 a.m. [SUPPORT] Notre-Dame: the bumblebee “Emmanuel” will ring at noon
The “Emmanuel” bumblebee of Notre-Dame de Paris, the second largest bell in France, will ring this Thursday at noon “to call for peace in Europe”, in communion with other cathedrals.
⇒ 11:10 a.m. [STATEMENT] Russia’s top diplomat accuses the West of thinking about “nuclear war”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that Western leaders are thinking of a nuclear war in their conflict with Russia. “Everyone knows that a third world war can only be nuclear, but I draw your attention to the fact that it is in the spirit of Western politicians, not in that of the Russians,” he said at an online press conference, before estimating that plans for “a real war” against Moscow are being drawn up.
⇒ 10:45 a.m. [INVESTIGATION] The French in solidarity with Ukraine
Solidarity actions have increased since the beginning of the war. The Ukrainian community, if it is relatively small with about 20,000 residents in France, is at the heart of the mobilization. The effort is divided between associations already well established to the exercise and local groups that have been structured in a few days.
“Since last Thursday, we have developed a list of needs with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and our network of military and civilian doctors: the most urgent thing is to send them 300,000 care kits,” explains Diana Dols, humanitarian manager at the Association Aide médicale caritative France-Ukraine. Activism has spread across the web. Groups have flourished on Facebook to raise hosting proposals or organize shipments.
⇒ 10:25 a.m. [AGENDA] The day’s appointments
► Jean Castex is the guest of the 13 hours of TF1. “The Prime Minister will come to clarify the contours of the resilience plan announced on Wednesday, he will also announce the latest measures against Covid and answer Jacques Legros’ questions live,” the channel said on Twitter.
► A second session of Russian-Ukrainian talks begins not far from the Polish border. On the menu: a ceasefire. Initial talks on Monday yielded no tangible results.
► An urgent debate is taking place at 11 a.m. at the Human Rights Council on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
⇒ 09:30 [RUSSIA] France urges its nationals to leave the country
France “strongly” recommends its nationals “whose presence and that of their families is not essential in Russia” to leave the country after the invasion of Ukraine and the closure of the airspace between Russia and the European Union.
“In the context created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the application of international sanctions against that country, heightened vigilance is required,” the French Foreign Ministry said on its website. On Sunday, Paris had already recommended to the “French passing through Russia” to leave the country.
⇒ 09:20 [FIGHTING] What is the status of the Russian invasion?
► On the southern front, Russian forces have just achieved their greatest success since the beginning of the invasion by taking Kherson in the night. The head of the regional administration, Hennadi Lahouta, called on residents to stay at home, saying that “the occupants are in all areas of the city and are very dangerous.”
Russian advances as of March 2 at 7:30 p.m. / Visactu
► Still in the south but a little further east, Mariupol is still surrounded and fighting continues to rage. If this important port falls, the Russian army will make the definitive junction between Crimea and the separatist territories in the east of the country.
► In Kiev, the Ukrainian army still holds. Loud explosions were heard in the night.
⇒ 09:10 [UKRAINE] One million refugees since the beginning of the Russian invasion
One million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since the invasion began a week ago, says UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
“In just seven days, we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries,” Grandi tweeted. For millions more inside Ukraine, it is time for the guns to be silent so that humanitarian assistance can arrive and save lives.” The number of people fleeing Ukraine is increasing day by day – the UN estimated just yesterday that the conflict had caused 836,000 people to rush onto roads and trains to leave the country.
⇒ 09:05 [MOSCOW] Independent radio station Ekho Moskvy dissolved
Independent radio station Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow), a historical figure in the Russian media landscape, announced its self-dissolution, after being banned from broadcasting by the authorities because of its coverage of the invasion of Ukraine.
“The majority of Ekho Moskvy’s board of directors has taken the decision to dissolve Ekho Moskvy’s radio and website,” its editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov wrote on his Telegram account.
⇒ 09:00 [SANCTIONS] Russian and Belarusian athletes finally excluded from Paralympic Games
Russian and Belarusian athletes will finally be excluded from the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced. Seized following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in which Belarus collaborates, the IPC had announced on Wednesday that these athletes could participate in the Games under a neutral banner, a decision that had been contested in several countries.
In a statement, the IPC justified its turnaround by the fact that “teams and athletes are now threatening not to participate, jeopardizing the chances of success of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.”
⇒ 08:30 [UKRAINE] The big city of Kherson taken by the Russian army
Kherson fell into the hands of Russia, its mayor said overnight. It is the largest city taken since the beginning of the conflict, which has already made a million refugees.
⇒ 08:20 [UKRAINE] With the encirclement of cities, the worst of the coming war according to Jean-Yves Le Drian
“It is possible that the worst is ahead of us” in the Russian-led war in Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has worried, as the Russian military has surrounded several Ukrainian cities, which it bombs.
“We can fear a logic of siege,” to which “the Russians are accustomed,” warned the head of French diplomacy on public television France 2. “Remember Aleppo, Grozny,” he said, referring to the two cities in Syria and Chechnya that have been wiped out by Russian bombs in recent decades.
⇒ 08:15 p.m.: Update on the situation
► Germany will deliver an additional 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles. Before the Russian invasion, Berlin refused any delivery of offensive weapons.
► The credit rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s have downgraded Russia to the category of countries at risk of not being able to repay their debt, in the context of the invasion of Ukraine.
♦ Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the eighth day of war in Ukraine, where the Russian army continues to advance. Find our live broadcast of March 2 on the conflict in Ukraine.
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