LIVE – War in Ukraine: Scholz calls on Europeans to send message of “solidarity” to Putin

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, announced on Monday that he had held a “very long” and “transparent” meeting with his Hungarian counterpart in Brussels, convincing him to support the start of negotiations on Kiev’s accession to the European Union over three days. Summit.

“I just finished a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szyjardo. We talked for an hour. It was a very long and frank talk,” the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said. “We discussed in detail the opening of negotiations for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. I emphasized that the political decision on this matter is right and correct,” he continues. “Ukraine and Hungary share a common European future,” assures Dmytro Kuleba.

The White House says it is “deeply concerned” about the difficulty in locating Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. His relatives recently said that the politician has been missing for several days. “He should be released immediately. He should never have been incarcerated in the first place,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on Monday, ahead of a meeting with his US counterpart and a visit to Congress, which is currently blocking a new aid package for Ukraine, the Pentagon said.

In the coming hours, after an introduction by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, he will deliver a speech at the National Defense University (NDU) at 12:00 pm (5:00 pm GMT), according to the US Department of Defense.

Supporters of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who is serving a 19-year prison sentence, said Monday they have been trying to contact him for nearly a week and have no idea where he is. His lawyers on Friday visited two penal colonies in the Vladimir region (east of Moscow, editor’s note) where Alexei Navalny may be, but learned “he is not there,” spokeswoman Kira Yarmich announced. “We still don’t know where Alexei is,” she said. Earlier, she pointed out that it had been “six days” since her team had heard from him.

Kira Iermich said the politician missed a court hearing he was supposed to attend via video conference, which prison officials said was not justified due to a power cut.

Until then, detained in the Vladimir region, Alexei Navalny is to be transferred to a penal colony with a “special regime” pronounced in August after he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for “extremism”. However, transfers from one penal colony to another in Russia often require several weeks of train travel with stages, during which time prisoners’ relatives are without news.

Vladimir Putin unveiled two new nuclear-powered submarines on Monday while visiting northwest Russia. According to the Russian president, eight other devices of the same type are currently being built at shipyards.

The largest border crossing between Ukraine and Poland reopened on Monday following a decision by local authorities in Dorohusk to withdraw permission for protests, despite a month-long blockade by Polish truckers.

“Entrepreneurs are already suffering significant losses, and unfortunately, someone had to make such a decision,” Torohusk mayor Wojciech Sawa told AFP. The move was not taken in consultation with Ukrainian authorities, he said. “I made this decision myself, after careful consideration and after receiving numerous phone calls from all over Poland. We cannot allow people in other sectors of our economy to lose their jobs,” he said.

For its part, Kyiv confirmed the reopening of this strategic crossing point. “The blockade of the Yakutyn-Torohusk crossing point has ended. Normal truck traffic resumed at 2:00 pm local time” (12:00 pm GMT), Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Koubrakov said on Facebook. “The border should be completely blocked and no further restrictions should be allowed,” he stressed.

In Russia, the election commission responsible for polling announced on Monday that presidential elections will also be held in the Moscow-occupied parts of Ukraine. Voting will be held on March 17. Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially announced his intention to run for a fifth term as the country’s president.

German Chancellor Olaf Schalz on Monday called on his European partners to send a “”news“Unity with Vladimir Putin on support for Ukraine, at a time when the 27 are discussing their military and financial aid and continuing EU accession talks. Military support for Ukraine”.A collaborative effort is indeed required“, Olaf Scholz announced during a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

“If we make this news out of Europe, it’s a message to the Russian president, who hopes that his willingness to do what is clearly necessary and show his support will fade. he added. If you tell me not to count it, it will be an important message“, he said.

In this video, a Ukrainian soldier assesses the heavy losses his comrades have suffered in recent weeks in the Avdiivka region in the east of the country.

The Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine will participate in Russian presidential elections in March 2024, the election commission announced Monday, in a referendum that should see Vladimir Putin re-elected.

According to Russian agencies, members of the commission adopted a resolution approving the method. Russia has already organized several elections in these regions (Zhaporizia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk), whose annexation was announced in September 2022 and which it only partially controls.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned on Monday that “Destructive effects“What would be the lack of consensus among the twenty-seven to open negotiations for his country’s accession to the European Union. The European Council, bringing together the leaders of the 27 countries and the governments of the member states, must approve or disapprove this decision. The European Commission to open this procedure.

“I can’t imagine, I don’t want to consider talking about the disastrous consequences not only for Ukraine but also for enlargement if the European Council fails to take a decision.” of the European Union, announced Mr. Koleba upon his arrival in Brussels.

The British government has earmarked $4.6 million in new funding to investigate Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine. “The UK will continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to hold perpetrators accountable, through financial support and legal expertise.“, pointed out Tariq Ahmed, the British minister in charge of the file.

Find out the main facts of the last 24 hours in Ukraine in this article.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet his US counterpart Joe Biden on Tuesday, who has invited him to a meeting in Washington. “The two leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of continued US support at this critical time.“, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre pointed out.

Ukraine’s military said it shot down eight Russian missiles that were flying toward Q early Monday morning. According to local authorities, many people were treated by emergency services after the strikes.

Eighteen “Shaheed” drones were launched overnight from the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula before being destroyed by Ukrainian security.More in the Mykolaiv region“, in the south of the country, kyiv air force points out.

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