UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – The sanctions are aimed at individuals and organizations suspected of supplying or financing the Russian defense industry in the war in Ukraine.
New American sanctions against Russia, Poland calling on the world for “total mobilization”, Moscow calling for a new advance in southern Ukraine… Le Figaro takes stock of the situation in Ukraine this Tuesday, December 12th .
Biden warns that Putin “expects” US aid to be stopped.
Joe Biden issued a dire warning on Tuesday in the presence of Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting Washington, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin “expects” that American aid to Ukraine will be cut off. “We have to, we have to prove to him that he is wrong,” emphasized the American president during a joint press conference.
He sharply attacked Republican elected officials who are currently blocking his request for an additional $61 billion for Kiev. During his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, Joe Biden had already estimated that cutting off the flow of American weapons and financial aid to Russia would be the “biggest Christmas present.” “History will judge harshly those who turned away from the cause of freedom,” said the 81-year-old Democrat, architect of Western support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
When the Ukrainian president came to Washington to secure renewed support, he assured that he had received “positive” signals from the American Congress, where negotiations were nevertheless very difficult. Volodymyr Zelensky, aware that a US failure would undermine the support of his country's other allies, stated that it was “very important to send a very strong signal of unity to the aggressor” from Ukraine before the end of the year, the United States, Europe and “the free world.”
New US sanctions against Russia
The United States announced a new round of sanctions against the Russian “war machine” on Tuesday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington to advocate for a new aid package. The sanctions target individuals and organizations suspected of supplying or financing the Russian defense industry in the war in Ukraine, evading sanctions already in force against Russia since Ukraine's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 .
“The Kremlin has gradually turned Russia into a war economy, but Putin's war machine cannot survive on domestic production alone,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was quoted as saying in a statement that included sanctions against about 150 individuals and entities. “Our sanctions continue to tighten influence on third-country suppliers and networks that provide Russia with the goods it urgently needs to develop and sustain its military-industrial complex,” she added. The US State Department jointly announced on Tuesday that it would impose sanctions on 100 individuals and entities, according to a separate statement.
According to the Treasury Department, Washington is particularly imposing sanctions on individuals and organizations based in China, Russia, Hong Kong and Pakistan that are “involved in the production and supply of Chinese weapons and technologies.” It names Chinese national Hu Xiaoxun and his defense company Jarvis HK Co., as well as his network of partners. The sanctions include freezing any assets that may be in the possession of the affected individuals and companies in the United States, as well as prohibiting any American person or company from conducting transactions with the targets of the sanctions, under penalty of being in turn be taken into sight.
American intelligence estimates the number of Russian soldiers injured or killed in Ukraine at 315,000
American intelligence agencies estimate the number of Russian soldiers injured or killed since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022 at 315,000, an American parliamentary source told AFP on Tuesday. That figure is cited in a declassified document sent to Congress, which also estimates that Russia lost 2,200 of the 3,500 tanks it owned before the war began.
Donald Tusk calls for a comprehensive mobilization in favor of Kiev
Polish Prime Minister-elect Donald Tusk called on the world to “total mobilize” in favor of Ukraine in the face of the Russian offensive in his keynote address to a confidence vote in parliament. “We will demand loud and clear a comprehensive mobilization of the free world, the West, on behalf of Ukraine in this war. There is no alternative,” he said. The former European Council chief also expressed his hope of meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at an EU summit in Brussels this week.
In his speech he also promised to resolve the conflict on the border with Ukraine, which was blocked by Polish truck drivers. “We have already found solutions to respond as quickly as possible to the needs of Polish transport companies and to open the border,” explained Donald Tusk, accusing the previous government of “abandoning” the truck drivers who have been protesting for a month . The desire for cooperation appears to be mutual, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately sent his “congratulations” to X on Monday after Donald Tusk was elected prime minister.
Russia claims “significant” advances in southern Ukraine
The Russian army has advanced “significantly” in the Zaporizhia region of partially occupied southern Ukraine, Moscow-appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky said on Tuesday, December 12. “Our units have advanced significantly northeast of Novopokrovka,” this Russian occupation official said on Telegram, as Russian forces step up attacks across the front following the failure of the major Ukrainian counteroffensive over the summer. These attacks also come at a time when the sustainability of Western military aid to Ukraine is questionable.
“Our units have advanced significantly northeast of Novopokrovka,” this Russian occupation official assured in the telegram. “The situation is constantly tense, but our guys not only hold the defense, but also advance step by step,” he said, reiterating that Ukrainian forces had suffered “significant losses.” This is the first advance by a Russian official into southern Ukraine since the Ukrainian counteroffensive was halted due to lack of success. Novopokrovka is a village northeast of Robotyné, a site captured in August by Ukrainian forces hoping for a breakthrough in the area to advance south and the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian Army General Staff assured in its morning report that it had repelled Russian attacks in the area, without giving further details.
Finland reopens part of its border with Russia
Finland will reopen part of its border with Russia, its prime minister announced on Tuesday, after closing it completely in November, accusing Moscow of staging a migration crisis at its gates. “The government decided today to keep the eastern border closed, with the exception of two border posts,” namely those of Vaalimaa and Niirala, Petteri Orpo told a press conference. These two border crossings will be operational again from December 14th to January 14th, 2024. “The government will close the entire border again (…) if instrumentalized migration continues,” the Defense Ministry said in an Interior Ministry press release. According to the Finnish authorities, almost 1,000 asylum seekers, mainly from Somalia, Iraq and Yemen, have reported to the border crossings between the two countries since the beginning of August.
Helsinki accuses Moscow of deliberately allowing these migrants to pass through and denounces a “hybrid attack” aimed at destabilizing Finland. The Kremlin rejected these allegations at the end of November, saying that the Russian border guards were simply following their “official orders”. “According to the authorities’ assessment, there is still a risk of instrumentalized migration and it is possible that Russia will continue its operations,” emphasized Petteri Orpo. “Without lifting these restrictions (the border closure, editor's note) we cannot check whether there is a change for the better,” he said.
Employer of imprisoned Russian-American journalist denounces new lawsuits
The media Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), employer of the Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who is imprisoned in Russia, denounced on Tuesday the opening of a new case against her, Russian media reported. “We strongly condemn the Russian authorities’ decision to apparently bring further charges against Alsou,” said Jeffrey Gedmin, acting president of RFE/RL, a U.S.-funded media outlet based in Prague. The journalist, author of a book called “No to War,” is being prosecuted for spreading “false information” about the Russian army, a crime punishable by prison, according to media outlets Baza and Tatar Inform.
Dozens injured in Russian attack on Kiev
A Russian missile attack targeted Kiev early Wednesday, injuring dozens of people, according to the mayor of the Ukrainian capital. An AFP journalist heard several explosions and air raid sirens shortly afterwards. “In the Dniprovsky district of the capital there are 34 injured. 15 of them were hospitalized, including two children. 19 received medical assistance on site,” Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on social media, citing the rescuers. According to the elected official, “as a result of the enemy's night rocket attack on the Dniprovsky district of the capital, a residential building was damaged.” About 15 residents were evacuated and, according to Klitschko, a children's hospital was damaged.
The Kiev military administration reported that debris from the destruction of “enemy air targets” fell on the Desnyansky and Dniprovsky districts – parts of the city where, according to the same source, a fire broke out. This is the second attack on Kiev in a week. According to Kiev, eight Russian missiles flying towards the capital were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses early on Monday. Four people were treated by emergency services.
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