Russia has threatened Finland with a ‘military-technical’ response after its leaders announced their desire to join NATO ‘without delay’ under the influence of the war in Ukraine, while tension mounted around deliveries of Russian gas to Europe.
1:54 p.m.
Relatives of Ukrainian fighters trapped in the Azovstal steelworks, the last pocket of resistance to Russian forces in the strategic port of Mariupol, appealed for help to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, asking him to help their evacuation.
“There is a person in the world to whom Putin would find it difficult to say no. We are confident that China, strong and noble, can make difficult decisions for a good cause”, launched, during a conference of press in kyiv, Natalia Zarytska, the wife of a fighter.
“We call on His Excellency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, to show (…) great Eastern wisdom and to work to save the defenders of Mariupol”, she added, in a room where had been hung a portrait of the Chinese leader. Citing messages sent by her husband, she claimed the Russians were deliberately dragging things out, to prolong the “torture” of the fighters.
1:18 p.m.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Saturday called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the Nordic country’s impending NATO bid that has sparked hostility from Moscow, Helsinki reported. “The conversation was direct and direct and passed without annoyance. Avoiding tension was considered important,” said the Finnish head of state in a press release from the presidency.
12 p.m.
The G7 says it will “never recognize the borders” that Russia is trying to change by force. It also calls for additional sanctions targeting sectors on which Russia is “dependent” and urges China “not to undermine” the sanctions imposed on Russia.
10:47
Russia continues to pressure Finland after it announced its wish to join NATO. Russia announced on Saturday to suspend its electricity deliveries. Nevertheless, the operator of the Finnish electricity network has ensured that it can do without power imports from Russia.
07:43
Particularly intense fighting is raging in the Donbass region (eastern Ukraine), on which Moscow is concentrating without making a significant advance, while “very difficult” negotiations are taking place over the fate of the last defenders of the strategic city. port of Mariupol.
“There is heavy fighting on the border with the Donetsk region, near Popasna”, commented Friday evening on Facebook Serguiï Gaïdaï, Ukrainian governor of the Lugansk region, reporting numerous losses in equipment and personnel on the side. Russian.
A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the most significant Russian activity currently was taking place in the Donbass. The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had “successfully” repelled a Russian attempt to cross this river near Severodonetsk, causing Moscow troops heavy losses.