Relations are strained between the Kremlin and the Élysée while Volodomyr Zelensky does not hide the fact that his army finds itself in an "
extremely difficult situation
"... L
e Figaro
takes stock of the latest developments in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
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The Ukrainian army in an “extremely difficult” situation
The Ukrainian army is currently in an “
extremely difficult
” situation facing Russian forces who are on the offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine after seizing the town of Avdiivka this weekend, recognized Monday Kiev.
“
The situation is extremely difficult at several points on the front line, where Russian troops have concentrated maximum reserves.
They are taking advantage of the delay in
Western aid to Ukraine, declared President Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily message.
He added that his country lacked artillery and needed anti-aircraft defense as much as longer-range weapons, also believing that the blockade of the border with Poland by Polish truckers and farmers demonstrated "
the erosion of solidarity
” towards his country.
On the battlefield, Russian soldiers, who have just obtained their first major territorial gain since the capture of Bakhmut in May 2023 by conquering Avdiïvka, in the eastern region of Donetsk, went on the attack in the east and the south, explained the Ukrainian army.
In the southern part of the front, “the enemy made 10 unsuccessful attempts against the positions of the (Ukrainian) defense forces in the area (of the village) of Robotyne.
Here, the situation is changeable, the enemy is inflicting heavy fire,” said Dmytro Lykhovy, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military in this area.
Macron will be fine in Ukraine by mid-March, no “questions about his security”
Emmanuel Macron “
fully intends to go to
Ukraine by mid-March”, his entourage stressed on Monday February 19, while Russian social networks relayed the rumor of a planned attack during the visit .
“
There were never any security issues in the visit schedule.
This question has never been asked
,” the head of state’s entourage assures AFP.
According to a video attributed to France 24 broadcast on Russian networks, but denounced as "
fake
" by the channel, the head of state canceled his trip after the detection by the "
French secret services
" of a "
d 'assassination
' against him.
In the process, former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, now number two on the country's Security Council, joked about the visit that Emmanuel Macron first announced for February, then by mid-March .
“
Macron seems to have been so frightened by a real or presumed (..) assassination plan (..) that he canceled his trip
,” he joked in a rare such direct charge against a Western leader.
Emmanuel Macron indicated on Friday in front of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, who came to sign a bilateral security agreement in Paris, that he would go
to his country “
before mid-March ”.
In January, he spoke of a trip to “
February
”.
The French president then denounced a “
change in posture
” of Russia towards the Europeans and called for a “
collective start
” on their part.
“
There is very clearly a desire for aggression against us
,” he said, pointing in particular to the intensification of “
disinformation actions and cyber attacks
.”
Lavrov castigates the United States during his visit to Cuba
The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, castigated Monday in Havana the “
domination
” and “
hegemony
” of the United States and Western countries over the world order, on the first day of a tour of Latin America which must continue in Venezuela and Brazil.
They “
want to preserve their domination, their hegemony and their diktat
” and resort to means that “
do not include diplomacy, but blackmail, ultimatums, threats, the use of military force and sanctions
“, declared the head of Russian diplomacy during his meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez.
After an open policy initiated by Barack Obama (2009-2017), Donald Trump toughened the trade and financial embargo imposed since 1962, measures barely questioned by his Democratic successor Joe Biden.
For its part, Moscow has been the subject of reinforced Western sanctions since the offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.