Volodymyr Zelensky is spending the weekend away from kyiv. The Ukrainian president was in Italy on Saturday, he will be in Germany on Sunday.
Before going to Germany on Sunday, it was in Italy that Volodymyr Zelensky spent the day on Saturday 13 May. After meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he spoke at the Vatican with Pope Francis. At the same time, the communication battle continues around Bakhmout: Moscow ensures to continue its progression in the city and to have “liberated a district in the northwestern part”. Just like the Ukrainian army which asserts “to advance” around. Franceinfo takes stock of the main information of this new day of conflict.
Volodymyr Zelensky received by the Pope at the Vatican
For the first time since the start of the war, Pope Francis received Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on Saturday May 13. The 40-minute interview covered “on the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine caused by the war”, the Vatican said in a statement. The two responsible “agreed on the need to continue efforts to support the population”.
At the exit, the Ukrainian president said to himself “grateful for the personal attention he has given to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians”. In a message posted on Telegram, he also claims to have asked to the pope “to condemn the Russian crimes in Ukraine” “because there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor”.
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The pope, who has called many times for peace in Ukraine, had already welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to the Vatican in February 2020.
Volodymyr Zelensky visits Rome
Before going to the Vatican, the Ukrainian president was received by Italian president Sergio Mattarella and head of government Giorgia Meloni. Zelensky thanked Italy for their help “to save lives”. “Everything we do, we do together. And that protects our Ukrainian families, children, the homes of our civilians and the lives of our soldiers.he said to Giorgia Meloni. I did not come to complain, I came to talk about our cooperation and to thank you once again for your help, for the good of our country because we want peace.”
Volodymyr Zelensky visits Germany on Sunday
THE program of the visit has not yet been officially announced : he should notably meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Volodymyr Zelensky is also due to be awarded the Charlemagne Prize during the day, a distinction rewarding a particularly striking commitment in favor of harmony in Europe. However, it is not yet certain that he will go to Aachen to receive him in person. This city is located in western Germany near the Belgian border, hundreds of kilometers from Berlin.
New aid from Berlin
The German government has announced that it is preparing a new military aid plan to Ukraine of 2.7 billion euros, including the delivery of numerous tanks, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft defense systems. “We all want a quick end to this atrocious war by Russia against the Ukrainian people, but unfortunately it is not in sight. That is why Germany will provide all the help it can, for as long as necessary. “Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement. This help “directly shows that (…) Russia is doomed to lose”reacted to Twitter Mykhaïlo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidency.
At least two dead and 11 injured in Russian strike in Kostiantynivka
In this town located 25 km south-west of Bakhmout, “two people, including a 15-year-old girl, died”the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine announced on Telegram. “A private house was completely destroyed, four multi-storey buildings, three private houses, two stores, an administrative building and a cultural institution were damaged,” reported for his part the head of the regional military administration of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, on Telegram.
Communication battle around Bakhmout
Moscow ensures to continue its progression in the city and to have “liberated a district in the northwestern part”. Just like the Ukrainian army which asserts “to advance” around. “The defensive operation in the direction of Bakhmout continues. Our soldiers are advancing in some areas of the front, and the enemy is losing equipment and troops”said on Telegram the commander of the ground troops of Ukraine, Oleksandre Syrsky.
Moscow accuses kyiv of targeting “civilian targets”
Russia has accused the Ukrainian military of using long-range British Storm Shadow missiles to target “civilian targets” in the Russian-held Luhansk region on Friday in eastern Ukraine. Moscow evokes “wounded, including six children”.