Update on the situation at dawn on Sunday, February 25th
The G7 pledged on Saturday, February 24, the anniversary of the Russian invasion, to “increase [à Moscou] “the cost of war” in Ukraine after a virtual summit at which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his allies to deliver their military aid “on time” to his weakened country as the war enters its third year.
“We will continue to increase the cost of war [pour la Russie]“, reducing its revenue streams and hampering its efforts to build its war machine, as demonstrated by the sanctions packages we recently adopted,” the G7 leaders said in a joint statement. Kiev's allies also condemned aid provided to Moscow by Tehran, Beijing and Pyongyang and vowed to “take action against third parties that provide material support to Russia's war.”
- Demonstrations in support of Ukraine across Europe
Thousands of people demonstrated across France and Europe on Saturday to show their support for Ukraine, two years after Moscow's troops completely invaded the country.
In Paris, a few thousand people marched between the Places de la République and the Bastille in an imposing calm that was sometimes interrupted by “Putin assassin!” » or “Russia out of Ukraine!” “.
- New bilateral agreements with Ukraine
Given the needs of his country and his army, Mr. Zelensky further cemented his alliances by signing bilateral security agreements with Canada and Italy on Saturday, as he had already done with several European countries such as Germany and France. Canada will provide Kyiv with about $2.2 billion (approximately €2 billion) in financial and military assistance in 2024.
Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union (EU) would pay Kiev 4.5 billion euros in March, a first tranche of a 50 billion euro amount that the 27 approved in February. During a meeting with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, reiterated the EU's full solidarity with Ukraine. The EU had promised to supply Kiev with a million shells last year but expects to reach just over half of that target by next month.
- The Russian power rejoices; The opposition is decimated
Given Ukraine's difficulties, Russia is proud to have increased its frontline attacks and recorded successes, most notably the capture of the fortress town of Avdiivka on February 17. “The advantage is on our side,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a visit to his troops, according to a statement released Saturday.
In Russia, Vladimir Putin again paid tribute to his “heroes” fighting against Ukraine on Friday. Around 500,000 men registered in 2023, and around 50,000 more in January of this year alone.
Three weeks before the Russian presidential elections in mid-March, Putin's hold on power appears to be stronger than ever. On Saturday, police in Moscow arrested several people, including journalists, during a gathering of wives of mobilized soldiers demanding their return from Ukraine.
- Ukraine is calling for a strike at a large Russian steel mill in the west of the country
Ukraine claimed responsibility for a drone attack on one of Russia's largest steel mills on Saturday. The Russian authorities, for their part, reported a fire at the Novolipetsk Steel Plant (NLMK) in the western Lipetsk region.