Video summary of the war Ukraine - Russia: May 23 15:21
(CNN Spanish) --
Russia's attacks continue and focus on western Ukraine, in a war that has been going on for three months and there is nothing to indicate that there may be a ceasefire.
Next, the main news for this Tuesday, May 24:
Zelensky says Ukraine is ready to exchange prisoners with Russia
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv is ready to hold a prisoner swap with Russia "even tomorrow", while calling on allies to keep up the pressure on Moscow.
"The exchange of people is today a humanitarian issue and a very political decision that depends on the support of many states," Zelensky told an audience in Davos on Monday by videoconference.
"It's really important that the whole world doesn't beg Russia, whatever the circumstance, or make concessions to Russia," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears on a giant screen during his video conference address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on May 23.
(Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)
"[They should] keep up the political pressure any way they can, through powerful business connections, through business closures, oil embargoes, and through threats, real threats of sanctions, thwarting business, we can step up actively exchanging our people for the Russian military".
A former US soldier now fighting in Ukraine recounts days he spent trapped in a 'house of horrors'
"We don't need the Russian military, we just need our own. We are ready for an exchange even tomorrow," Zelensky said.
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Ukrainians have also filled "tens of thousands" of black body bags with the remains of abandoned Russian soldiers, he added.
Colombia will train Ukrainian soldiers in demining operations
The Colombian armed forces are sending a team to Ukraine to train its military in landmine clearance operations, the Colombian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.
The 11 military engineers will be sent to an unnamed neighboring NATO country where the training will take place, according to the statement.
"Colombia is as always committed to the values of freedom and human rights and, in this case, making a concrete contribution as a member country and global partner of NATO," said Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano Aponte.
A bit of background:
In March, US President Joe Biden announced that Colombia would be designated a major non-NATO ally, strengthening economic and security ties between the two.
As of this year, there are more than 15 nations designated as major non-NATO allies of the US, including Australia, Japan, Israel, the Philippines and Qatar.
Pro-Moscow authorities in Ukraine's Kherson region call for Russian military base
Pro-Moscow authorities in Ukraine's Kherson region will request a Russian military base in the region, Russian state news agencies reported on Tuesday.
Russian state news agencies RIA-Novosti and TASS quoted Kirill Stremousov, Russia's deputy head of the Kherson region administration, as saying that "there should be a military base of the Russian Federation in the Kherson region. We will ask for it." , and the whole population is interested in it".
The Russian military took control of parts of the Kherson region in mid-March, and Russian-backed officers claim to have held a number of government posts.
Ukrainian officials estimate that about half of Kherson's population has already left the region, many of whom say they have fled tight Russian control.
Russian efforts to push through a referendum on the so-called "Kherson People's Republic," which would mirror the rise of Russia-backed breakaway states in eastern Ukraine, appear to have been put on hold.
Moscow will strengthen ties with China, says Russian Foreign Minister
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting November 13, 2019 in Brasilia, Brazil.
(Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow must stop relying on the West and instead is strengthening ties with China.
"Now that the West has adopted a 'dictator's position,' our economic ties with China will grow even faster," Lavrov told an audience at a question-and-answer session in Moscow on Monday, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry transcript. .
He stated that China has "highly developed" information and communication technologies that "have nothing to envy those of the West," which "guarantees mutual benefits."
The foreign minister said that if the West wants to resume relations, then Moscow will consider whether the country needs it or not.
He added that Russia must stop depending "in any way" on supplies from the West for the development of "the security, economy or social sphere of our motherland."
"When we can finally count only on ourselves and on the countries that have proven to be reliable and that do not dance to the tune of another, then, if the Western countries come to their senses and start proposing some form of cooperation, it will be up to us to decide" , he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have cultivated close relations, and China currently buys record amounts of Russian coal, but the two countries have shared historic rivalries.
Duterte of the Philippines criticizes Putin for killing children and the elderly in Ukraine
Outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for killing innocent civilians in Ukraine, saying that while both have been called murderers, "I kill criminals. I don't kill children and the elderly." According to the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA).
"Many people say that Putin and I are the same because we kill people... But I kill criminals. I don't kill children or the elderly. What happens in Russia and the United States is different from what happens here," Duterte said. this Monday night in a public speech, reported the PNA.
Starbucks is definitely leaving Russia: it had more than 130 stores and about 2,000 employees
Duterte said he was not condemning his "friend" Putin, but rather sharing his sentiment.
"Putin is my friend. He is in control of everything. Anyway, you have started the ruckus there. Control your soldiers. They are on a rampage," Duterte was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Duterte also asked the Russian embassy in the Philippines to convey his message to Putin, saying it is his duty to ensure the safety of innocents.
"The Russian embassy, if you are listening, I am not arguing with anyone. I have said that Putin is my friend. But... it is his moral obligation to ensure the safety of civilians, the innocent, children, the elderly, the women... They are too vulnerable," Duterte said.
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