Strikes in the Southeast
In the east of the country, the Russians continued their offensive on Tuesday. The second city of Ukraine, Kharkiv, as well as neighboring localities continued to be bombarded, according to the Ukrainian general staff. At least ten people died and fifteen others were injured in a strike on a factory in Avdiivka, a town near the front line, announced the governor of the Donetsk region. “The information will be further clarified and the number of victims could probably be higher,” he added. In the south, the major port city of Odessa was again targeted by Russian missiles.
Biden calls for more funds from Congress
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday asked the US Congress to “quickly” release a $33 billion budget extension to continue delivering military aid to Ukraine that allows him to “ridiculously ridicule” the army. Russian. This money would also be used to send humanitarian aid to the country. Visiting a missile launcher factory in Alabama, he took the opportunity to thank the personnel present: “These weapons that your hands have touched are in the hands of Ukrainian heroes and make a difference. It’s something you can and should be proud of every day. »
Pope compares Ukraine to Rwanda
“How do we fail to stop all this brutality? We saw the same thing 25 years ago with Rwanda,” Pope Francis told an Italian daily on Tuesday about the war in Ukraine. He referred to the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people, mainly from the Tutsi minority, were killed. He also said he was ready to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to stop the fighting in Ukraine. “I’m afraid Putin can’t and won’t have this meeting now,” he added.
EU prepares oil embargo against Russia
A draft embargo on oil and petroleum products purchased from Russia was submitted overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday to member countries of the European Union, but the measure still raises reservations. “There are countries that will not be able to bear it”, including Bulgaria, which depends almost 100% on Russian oil, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov warned on television on Sunday. The European Commission nevertheless finalized its proposal on Tuesday for a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow in order to dry up its financial resources.
With Agence France-Presse