Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Tuesday, May 14, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict.
Situation in Kharkiv poised to stabilize, Ukrainian intelligence says
The situation in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv is stabilizing, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR) said on Tuesday, although he warned against Russia sending reservists in the coming days. The Russian army has also stationed small assault units near the Sumy region in northern Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov added on Ukrainian television. Earlier today, Russian news agency Tass reported that the western and northern parts of the city of Vovchansk in the Kharkhiv region had come under the control of Russian forces.
American aid is coming, Blinken assures during visit to kyiv
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured President Volodimir Zelensky on Tuesday that part of a large military aid package had arrived in Ukraine and that the rest would follow very soon to make a “real difference” in the country’s existential struggle against the Russian invasion. Antony Blinken is the first American official to visit kyiv since the United States Congress adopted a $61 billion aid plan last month after six months of procrastination. Washington immediately announced the release of a first aid package including munitions and equipment which the Ukrainian army, already short of men facing Russia, was sorely lacking to contain the offensive by the Ukrainian forces. Moscow in the east of the country in recent months.
“We know this is a difficult time. But we also know that help is on the way, that some has already arrived and the rest will follow.”declared the head of American diplomacy. “And it will make a real difference on the battlefield in the face of Russian aggression”, assured Antony Blinken, arriving by a night train in the Ukrainian capital. A member of the American delegation told journalists that long-range ATACMS missiles (300 km) and anti-aircraft missiles which President Joe Biden had approved for shipment on April 24 were already starting to reach the Ukrainian forces. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that Washington is trying to accelerate “the tempo of deliveries” arms to Ukraine in order to help it reverse the trend.
After having struggled to make territorial gains during a counter-offensive launched last year, the Ukrainian army is having difficulty repelling the Russian army, which has made small but sometimes symbolic advances mainly in the Donetsk region. , in the east of the country. Russian troops have also been making incursions into the border area of the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s second city, since Friday, which has opened a new front in the northeast of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky expected in Spain on Friday
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky will travel to Madrid on Friday where he will meet with the King of Spain, the royal palace announced in a press release on Tuesday. The Spanish government has not provided any details about the visit for security reasons, but Volodimir Zelensky and the President of the Spanish Government Pedro Sanchez are also expected to sign a bilateral security cooperation agreement on this occasion, similar to those that the Ukraine has already signed with other European countries such as France. This trip comes at a time when the European Union is preparing to promise Ukraine long-term support in the face of the Russian invasion, in particular by providing it with more weapons and training its soldiers, according to a document consulted by Reuters.
France will deliver a second batch of surface-to-air Aster missiles to kyiv
France will deliver a new batch of surface-to-air Aster missiles to Ukraine, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, declared on Tuesday during a hearing at the National Assembly. “I have just signed a second batch of Aster missiles to allow the SAMP-T (medium-range ground-to-air system), which we donated with our Italian partners, to continue to operate”he said.
Putin to discuss energy and Ukraine in China Thursday and Friday
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China on Thursday and Friday for a state visit, his first trip abroad since being sworn in for a new six-year presidential term a week ago, the Kremlin said Tuesday. “At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China on May 16 and 17”, said the Kremlin. The two leaders will discuss trade issues, including China’s proposed “New Silk Roads”, as well as the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, Asia and Ukraine. The two countries have grown significantly closer since the start of the war in Ukraine, in response to Western efforts to isolate Russia.
Trade between Russia and China reached $240.1 billion in 2023, up 26.3% year-on-year, according to Chinese customs data. French President Emmanuel Macron tried to convince Xi Jinping to use his influence on Russia to end its war of aggression in Ukraine during the Chinese president’s recent visit to Paris, but he failed. it seems to have obtained from the latter only a vague commitment to work towards an “Olympic truce” this summer.
China has a position “balanced” on Ukraine, welcomed Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov. Ushakov will be part of the Russian delegation which will go to Beijing, like the new Minister of Defense, Andrei Belousov, his predecessor Sergei Shoigu, now head of the national security council, and the head of diplomacy Sergei Lavrov.