A “massive attack” is preparing in eastern Ukraine
Russian forces are preparing a “massive attack” in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk region governor Sergey Gaidai announced on Monday. “We see equipment coming in from different directions, bringing in men, bringing in fuel. »
The leader therefore called on the inhabitants of the region to leave it as soon as possible. “Please don’t wait for your homes to be bombed,” he urged in his message.
Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday that Russian forces were withdrawing from northern Ukraine to redeploy to the east and south of the country. Russia for its part recently announced that it would focus its offensive on Donbass, largely already in the hands of the Russian military and its separatist allies.
The West is indignant at the horror in Boutcha
Many Western countries showed their indignation on Monday after the discovery this weekend of dozens of remains of civilians in Boutcha. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said she was “horrified” and called “to preserve all evidence” of these “possible war crimes” and “serious human rights violations”.
France and Germany have announced the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats from their countries. This “unfriendly” expulsion will “deteriorate” relations with Moscow, Russia has warned.
Call for “binding embargoes” on Russian gas
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Monday called on the leaders of the 27 to establish “binding embargoes” on imports of Russian gas.
“Europe must accelerate its policy of zero dependence on the Kremlin, free itself from Russian energy supplies, put in place binding embargoes and stop indirectly financing the bombs”, she declared while opening the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
This declaration comes at a time when the European Union is discussing “urgently” new sanctions against Moscow. Unanimity is needed for new measures to be adopted, but Germany and Austria still rule out targeting gas imports.
Angela Merkel “assumes her decisions”
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday defended her refusal in 2008 to initiate the process of admitting Ukraine to NATO.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday evening that he regretted the “absurd fear” shown by certain leaders at the time with regard to Moscow.
A few months after her departure from power, Angela Merkel is now being criticized for having lacked firmness towards President Vladimir Putin and made Germany dependent on Russian gas.
In a short statement published by her spokesperson, the former German chancellor affirms that she “assumes her decisions of the NATO summit of 2008 in Bucharest”, where Germany had spoken out against the launch of the process accession of Ukraine and Georgia, considering that they were not sufficiently stable democracies.