Moldova strengthens its security
Moldova on Tuesday announced measures to strengthen its security following a series of explosions in the separatist region of Transnistria, supported by Moscow, which raises fears of an overflow of the current conflict in Ukraine. “This is an attempt to increase tensions. We strongly condemn such actions. The Moldovan authorities will take care to prevent the republic from being drawn into a conflict,” said Moldovan President Maïa Sandu following a meeting of the National Security Council.
kyiv on Tuesday accused Moscow of seeking to “destabilize” the Transnistrian region.
For their part, Paris and Washington also reacted. France supports Moldova in the face of “the risks of destabilization”, declared Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, while, without going so far as to attribute responsibility for the explosions to Moscow, as kyiv does, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters: “We remain concerned regarding any potential attempt to escalate tensions. »
Germany changes its mind
Germany will authorize the delivery to Ukraine of “Cheetah” type armored vehicles, the Minister of Defense announced on Tuesday, which constitutes a major turning point in the cautious policy followed so far by Berlin in its military support for kyiv. .
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The fifty tanks specialized in anti-aircraft defense, were withdrawn from service 10 years ago and must undergo a technical update. They will not come directly from the German army but from stocks held by the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) arms group.
EU fears nuclear disaster
The European Union has warned of a new nuclear disaster in Ukraine, 36 years following the Chernobyl explosion, due to the Russian offensive, and asked Moscow to refrain from any action once morest the country’s installations .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of having placed the world “on the brink of catastrophe” by its occupation of the Chernobyl power plant. “The world was once once more on the brink of catastrophe, because for the Russian military, the Chernobyl area and power plant was like normal territory for conducting military operations,” Zelensky said.
Putin not “serious” regarding negotiations
Vladimir Putin has not shown “seriousness” in his intentions to negotiate with Ukraine to end the conflict, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We haven’t seen any signs so far that President Putin is serious regarding meaningful negotiations,” Blinken told the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.
Guterres pleads for a ceasefire
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres pleaded during his first trip to Moscow since the start of the Russian offensive, for a ceasefire in Ukraine “as soon as possible”. He also called on Kyiv and Moscow to work together, with the UN, to open humanitarian corridors. And he said he was “concerned by the repeated reports of possible war crimes” in Ukraine, saying they “require an independent investigation”.
In the evening Vladimir Putin replied to him that he still hoped for a “positive result” in the negotiations with Ukraine during their meeting in the Kremlin. He claimed that negotiations between Moscow and kyiv in Istanbulin March, had allowed a “serious advance”.
A monthly meeting to help Kyiv
The United States and its allies will meet monthly to discuss how to strengthen Ukraine’s military capabilities once morest Russia, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced following meeting with some 40 countries in Germany.
At least 9 civilians killed in shelling
At least nine civilians died on Tuesday in bombings by the Russian army in eastern and southern Ukraine, according to reports released by local authorities.
