Putin blows hot and cold

The cyberattack targeting Kiev complicated a day marked by signs of easing in the Ukraine crisis. “[Mardi] morning, Vladimir Putin announced the withdrawal of some of the troops massed around Ukraine. In the afternoon, he said ‘Russia does not want war’, and the Ukrainian authorities naturally welcomed these announcements. Still, we don’t know how many soldiers will be withdrawn“, explains the journalist on the spot, Dorothée Olliéric.

In a telephone interview, President Emmanuel Macron and his American counterpart Joe Biden agreed on the need to verify the start of this withdrawal, which the Élysée however did not fail to describe as “first encouraging sign“, with a view to de-escalation.