Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? Don’t panic, “20 Minutes” takes stock for you every evening, at 7:30 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
The fact of the day
Volodymyr Zelensky had pushed for a timetable for Ukraine’s accession to NATO to be accepted. In vain, despite the Alliance summit in Vilnius. Faced with his anger, Joe Biden wanted to be reassuring this Thursday. “The question is not whether or not they should join NATO (but) when they can join, and they will join NATO”, promised the American president, during a press conference. in Helsinki.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also said in an interview released Thursday that he had “no doubt” that Ukraine would become a member of NATO in due course. Moscow, on the other hand, did not appreciate these optimistic statements. “I am sure that this will not improve Ukraine’s security and that, in general, it will make the world much more vulnerable and will lead to additional tensions on the international scene”, retorted Vladimir Putin.
sentence of the day
If I were him, I would watch what I eat. I would watch the menu. »
This is an ironic statement by the US President about Yevgeny Prigojine, the head of Wagner. Joe Biden said he should be “watch what he eats” after his abortive mutiny against Moscow, implying that he risks being eliminated by the Kremlin.
The number of the day
4. This is the number of wounded recorded by Ukraine after new night strikes on kyiv. The Ukrainian capital experienced its third night of attacks in a row where explosions were heard in several neighborhoods. Two people were injured in the Darnytsky district “as a result of falling debris”, Sergiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram. Two other people, in the Shevchenkivsky district, were treated on the spot.
The trend of the day
Joe Biden multiplied his statements in favor of kyiv on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin “has already lost the war” in Ukraine, said his American counterpart. “He could end the war tomorrow, he would just have to say ‘I quit’,” he said, during a visit to Finland celebrating the neighboring Nordic country’s recent NATO membership. of Russia. “But there is no possibility for him to win the war in Ukraine (…) He has already lost it,” added Joe Biden, stressing Russia’s lack of resources and its economic difficulties.
Despite the lack of progress in the Ukrainian counter-offensive on the front, the American president also said he was convinced that it would lead to a request for negotiations from Moscow. “I hope, and it is my expectation, that Ukraine will make meaningful progress in its offensive and that it will lead to a negotiated settlement at some point,” the 80-year-old US leader said.
For his part, the head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov, affirmed that the delivery of Western F-16 fighter planes – necessary according to Kiev to fight the Russian invasion – would be considered a “nuclear” threat, these planes being capable of carrying atomic weapons. “I don’t believe there is a real prospect (…) of Putin using nuclear weapons. Not only the West, but also China and the rest of the world said: “do not go on this ground”, swept Joe Biden, alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.