War in Ukraine Live: Macron and Erdogan will meet this Thursday on Sweden and Finland joining NATO


9:50 a.m .: The central bank of Russia lowers its main key rate from 14% to 11%

The Russian central bank lowered its main key rate from 14% to 11% in particular to cushion the consequences of the strengthening of the ruble, at a time when the authorities are struggling with the sanctions imposed because of the offensive against Ukraine.

“External conditions for the Russian economy remain difficult, which considerably reduces economic activity”, underlines the monetary institution in a press release, referring to “the dynamics of the price of the ruble” and “the weakening of inflationary pressure”. to explain his decision.

9:23 a.m.: 8,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war in Lugansk and Donetsk regions

8,000 Ukrainians are prisoners of war in the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, under Russian control, according to statements by local authorities reported by the Reuters news agency.

“There are a lot of prisoners. (…) Currently, the total number is around 8,000. That’s a lot, and hundreds are being added to it every day,” said Rodion Miroshnik, an official from the Luhansk region.

9:07 am: The discussion between Macron and Erdogan “essential” for Thierry Breton

Invited to LCI, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, was very favorable to the discussion between Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which should take place in the morning. “Today, for NATO, we need the unanimity of the members. Turkey dragged its feet and argued that Kurds were in Finland and Sweden. (…) It is very important that Emmanuel Macron has this interview with Turkish President Erdogan. I hope things will work out. (…) It is absolutely essential that there be discussions. »





The European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, considers the discussion between Macron and Erdogan “indispensable”. Photo Sipa/ Tardivon JC

9:02 am: “We are preparing” for a long war “hoping that it does not happen”, declares Thierry Breton

The European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, guest on LCI, declared: “Russia is unfortunately used to waging long wars in this region. (…) This is what we are preparing for, hoping that it does not happen. »

He also designated Vladimir Putin as “one and only responsible” for the war: “We seized more than ten billion in assets. (…) It is not against the Russian people, it is to isolate this government which is carrying out a terrible, illegal action on European territory. (…) We hope that the Russian people will be able to make themselves heard by their government. »

He added that an embargo on Russian oil is necessary: ​​“We know that today Vladimir Putin is financing his war through the sale of hydrocarbons. Nearly 800 million euros per day are paid to him. That can not continue. »

A makeup artist realizes her dream in Cannes after fleeing Ukraine

When she fled Ukraine the day after the Russian invasion, she had no idea what awaited her: the Ukrainian make-up artist Aliona Antonova is today in Cannes, where she makes up the biggest movie stars.

Her story began on February 24, with the first bombings of her city, Odessa, very close to her beauty salon and aesthetics school. Three months later, the 31-year-old single mother found herself doing makeup for guests on the red carpet at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

After fleeing Ukraine for Moldova, Aliona was able to find work very quickly, in Brussels and Berlin, thanks to her reputation on Instagram (where she has 72,000 subscribers). But she always dreamed of going to Cannes, and therefore contacted several Cannes salons. From the first email, she received a positive response: she was offered a stand where she could set up as a freelancer.

“I was very surprised to see how easy it was,” she says, “so much so that until the first day in Cannes, I thought it wasn’t true.” She works in particular with the women appearing in the Netflix documentary The Tinder Scammer.

6:50 a.m .: Interview between Macron and Erdogan this Thursday about the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO

The French president will meet this Thursday with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan who threatens to veto the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO. This interview will take place at 11:30 a.m. in Paris by telephone, added the French presidency, which specified that Emmanuel Macron was at Fort de Brégançon, one of the residences of the presidency which is located on the Côte d’Azur, where it will stay for a few days.

Ankara warned on Wednesday that it would not agree to the accession of Sweden and Finland without having obtained “concrete measures” from them concerning its security concerns, after having received delegations of diplomats from these two countries. .

6:49 am: “Stop stealing cereals! »

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Wednesday called on Russia to “stop stealing” grain produced by Ukraine and let the country export it, ruling out any lifting of sanctions requested by Moscow to avert a global food crisis . “Stop stealing the grain!” “, he launched to the address of Moscow. “We see Russia stealing (Ukrainian) grain for its own consumption,” the British minister said.

Ukraine, a major cereal exporter, is seeing its production blocked due to the fighting, and that of Russia, another cereal power, cannot be sold because of sanctions affecting the financial and logistics sectors.



Photo Sipa/Mikhal METZEL



Putin met wounded soldiers in Ukraine for the first time

In a hospital in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin was filmed on Wednesday, in a white coat, with wounded soldiers on the Ukrainian front. These men “who risk their health, their lives for the people and the children of Donbass, for the good of Russia, all are heroes”, he assured.

6:46 am: The latest highlights on the ground

– In the Donbass specifically, where Moscow has refocused its offensive after failing to take kyiv and bring down the power of President Volodymr Zelensky, the Russians are trying at all costs to tighten their grip on the Lugansk region. Russian forces have reached the outskirts of Severodonetsk, a city of 100,000 inhabitants where the situation is “very difficult”, the region’s governor announced on Wednesday.

– The governor of Lugansk accused the Russian army of bombarding Severodonetsk using multiple rocket launchers, imprecise and devastating weapons. According to him, the bombs are also targeting the Azot factory where civilians are taking refuge, in a situation reminiscent of the siege of Mariupol, the large port in the south-east practically destroyed by the bombs.

– On the southern front, Moscow is busy consolidating its grip on the territories conquered for three months. In Mariupol, demining and “demilitarization” of the port have been completed and it has started “to operate on a regular basis”, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

– Russia has also announced that it will allow residents of the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions to apply for a Russian passport via “a simplified procedure”. Ukraine immediately denounced a measure demonstrating Moscow’s desire to carry out a pure and simple annexation of these territories.

What to remember from Wednesday

  • The Russian parliament has voted to lift the age limit for enlisting in the army. Until now, only citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 were allowed to do so.
  • Moscow has announced that the question of a prisoner exchange with Ukraine will be considered once the Ukrainian detainees have been tried. According to Russia, 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers entrenched in Azovstal have been captured.
  • On the second day of the Council of Baltic Sea States, which met for the first time in nine years, the ten countries represented declared that the war would have a “long-term negative impact” on the region’s security.

6:45 am: Hello everyone, welcome to this live where we will follow the situation around the conflict in Ukraine, on the 92nd day of the Russian invasion.



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