The essential :
- The shelling of a pediatric hospital by Russian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol sparked outrage among Ukrainian authorities and Westerners alike as the Russian army closed in on Kiev on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemns a “war crime”, the White House, a “barbaric act”. Three people, including a young girl, lost their lives.
- The leaders of the 27 member countries of the European Union will meet at the Palace of Versailles from 4:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss defense and energy, before a working dinner on Ukraine. While this summit will last two days, Friday will be devoted to strengthening the EU’s economic model, before a final press conference.
Turkey welcomes the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers on Thursday for their first face-to-face since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Serguei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba will be received by Turkish Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antalya (south), a seaside resort popular with Russian tourists.
08:49 – Gabriel Attal denounces the “inhuman” strikes of Mariupol
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Thursday denounced “inhumane and cowardly” strikes after Russian forces shelled a children’s hospital on Wednesday in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine. “I want to say this on behalf of the French government: Russia’s strikes against the Mariupol pediatric hospital are inhuman and cowardly. It is women, children, caregivers who have been targeted, it is unspeakable and we call ceasefire again,” Gabrial Attal told RTL.
08:20 – The shock after the attack on the Mariupol children’s hospital
The shelling of the Mariupol children’s hospital happened when women were giving birth in the hospital, which had just been re-equipped, according to a member of the military administration of the Donetsk region . Injured or in shock, many victims need to be taken care of. The Russian government did not deny the attack, but claimed that Ukrainian “nationalist battalions” were using the hospital as a base for firing.
08:09 – War in Ukraine: the dilemma of artists
Should an artist enlist when a war breaks out or continue to practice his art for the public? Historical return with the example of Harry Baur.
Read Emmanuel Berretta’s article War in Ukraine: the artists’ dilemma
07:45 – How are Ukrainian refugees received in France?
Of the more than two million people who have taken the road of exodus since the Russian invasion, only a handful have arrived in France. But in a country where the supply of emergency accommodation is saturated and which had not yet finished absorbing the evacuations of Afghans fleeing the Taliban regime, this new crisis could raise fears of delicate care. On Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said, 6,823 displaced people (including 6,540 Ukrainians) had reached France, according to border police reports, which suggests that some continued on their way to another country. European. Among them, more than 3,000 are already taken care of in emergency accommodation, such as gymnasiums or hotels, mainly in Île-de-France, while many others have been able to be accommodated directly “by loved ones”, explained Alain Régnier, interministerial delegate for the reception and integration of refugees.
07:30 – War in Ukraine – With the international legion “Zelensky”
Fighters from all over the world are flocking to Ukraine at the president’s call, to “drive out the Russians”. Portrait of a seasoned French volunteer.
Read our report War in Ukraine – With the international legion “Zelensky”
07:15 – An envelope of 14 billion dollars in the United States in the face of the Ukrainian crisis
The elected members of the House of Representatives adopted a new American budget on Wednesday evening which includes a staggering envelope of nearly 14 billion dollars for the Ukrainian crisis. The text, which includes an economic and humanitarian component, but also weapons and ammunition for Kiev, must now be voted on in the Senate before being promulgated by Joe Biden. These funds should allow Kiev to protect its electricity network, fight cyberattacks and equip itself with defensive weapons. The package also includes more than $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid and more than $1 billion to support refugees fleeing Ukraine.
06:59 — Zelensky, Johnson and Biden outraged after children’s hospital bombed
A facility housing a pediatric hospital and maternity ward in Mariupol, a besieged port in southeastern Ukraine, was destroyed by Russian shelling on Wednesday, leaving 17 hospital staff confirmed injured, according to local authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned “a war crime”, in a video message, calling on Western leaders to show “courage” to “finally do what they should have done on the first day of the invasion. Either close the skies to Russian missiles and bombs, or give us fighter jets so we can do it all ourselves.”
The White House for its part denounced a “barbaric” use of force against civilians, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the bombing “immoral”. “There are no children” among the injured and “no dead”, according to a report provided by the local authorities.
06:43 – Russian and Ukrainian ministers arrive in Turkey
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Turkey for the first meeting on Thursday at this level since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Officials from Kiev and Moscow have already met several times, but this is the first time that Russia has sent a minister for discussions on this crisis. Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Antalya (South) “for discussions on a cessation of hostilities and the end of the war waged against Ukraine by Russia”, tweeted Wednesday evening the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A Turkish official has confirmed Sergei Lavrov’s arrival.
05:40 – Outrage after the bombing of a children’s hospital
“Barbaric”, “immoral”, “war crime”: the bombardment of a pediatric hospital by Russian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol provoked the indignation of the Ukrainian authorities and Westerners, while the Russian army approached Kiev on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian general staff. This attack, which left 17 injured, came on the eve of discussions on Thursday in Turkey between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, their first face-to-face since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine there. at two weeks.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who condemned a “war crime”, shared videos showing the destruction – after an air raid – of the establishment, which housed a maternity hospital and a pediatric hospital, in Mariupol, a strategic port on the Sea of Azov (South-East). Interiors of buildings can be seen blown away, debris, sheets of paper and shards of glass littering the ground.
5:30 a.m. – IMF approves $1.4 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday approved $1.4 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine, which has been facing “a very serious humanitarian and economic crisis” since the start of the crisis. invasion of the country by the Russian army. This immediate aid should enable the government to “meet urgent balance of payments needs resulting from the effects of the war and will provide essential short-term support,” the IMF said in a statement. The Fund also hopes that this aid will act as a “catalyst” with other financial partners.
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