The respite in Kyiv was short-lived. Spared by the Russians since mid-April, the Ukrainian capital was the target of bombardments on Thursday, in the middle of a visit by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres.
Posted at 10:36 p.m.
This tactic was intended to “humiliate the UN”, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Guterres, who called the strikes a “heinous act of barbarism”, is “safe”, but “shocked”, said a United Nations spokesman.
PHOTO SERGEI SUPINSKY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres (left) and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
Arguing that war was “21st century nonsense”and century”, the Secretary General also visited Boutcha and Irpin, two towns where a significant number of civilian corpses were found.
« Complètement inacceptable »
La ministre des Affaires étrangères du Canada, Mélanie Joly, a vertement condamné cette attaque « complètement inacceptable » sur la capitale ukrainienne.
« Ça démontre à quel point la Russie manque de respect envers non seulement le secrétaire général, mais l’ONU elle-même. Pourquoi ? Parce que la Russie est membre permanent du Conseil de sécurité et il y a des frappes sur Kyiv au même moment où le secrétaire général y est présent », a-t-elle dénoncé.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE CANADIENNE
Mélanie Joly, ministre des Affaires étrangères du Canada
Et cela démontre également, « encore une fois », que la Russie vise des civils, ce qui va « à l’encontre des règles que l’on a prévues en droit international », a enchaîné la ministre à sa sortie de la période des questions en Chambre, jeudi après-midi.
Elle a rappelé que l’ambassadeur du Canada aux Nations unies, Bob Rae, a lancé cette semaine une charge contre Moscou avec plus d’une centaine de pays alliés en appuyant une résolution pour obliger les cinq membres permanents du Conseil de sécurité, dont la Russie fait partie, à rendre des comptes lorsqu’ils exercent leur droit de veto.
« C’est la preuve que nous avons besoin d’une victoire rapide sur la Russie et que tout le monde civilisé doit s’unir autour de l’Ukraine. Nous devons agir rapidement. Plus d’armes, plus d’efforts humanitaires, plus d’aide », a quant à lui soutenu le chef de l’administration présidentielle, Andriï Iermak, au 64e jour de l’invasion russe.
« Les Russes ne sont pas entrés en Ukraine pour partir. […] It’s a conflict that is likely to last a very long time,” says Jocelyn Coulon, guest researcher at the Center for International Studies and Research at the University of Montreal.
The Ukrainian authorities, however, confirmed that no one had been killed by these two strikes, which nevertheless injured at least 10 and set fire to a building in the Shevchenkivskyi district.
Biden asks Congress for $33 billion
United States President Joe Biden requested a “colossal $33 billion budget extension” from Congress on Thursday. Its purpose is to provide additional military aid to Ukraine. Of this sum, 20 billion must be devoted to the supply of armaments, seven times more than what the Americans have already sent to Kyiv. The United States is not attacking Russia, the Democrat clarified. They “help Ukraine defend itself” against “atrocities and aggression” from Russia.
Canada’s Defense Minister, Anita Anand, was also visiting Arlington to talk with her American counterpart Lloyd Austin on Thursday. The war in Ukraine was on the menu.
Alleged war crimes
Ten Russian soldiers have been indicted for committing alleged war crimes in Boutcha. These soldiers, who belong to the 64and 35 Motorized Rifle Brigadeand Russian army, must now be arrested and brought to justice. On April 2, the corpses of dozens of civilians were discovered in Boutcha, which made this city one of the macabre symbols of the horror caused by the invasion decided by the Kremlin. Ukrainian investigators have also identified “more than 8,000 cases” of alleged war crimes, said Ukrainian prosecutor Iryna Venediktova.
During a meeting with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he wanted to take the initiative to end the war by mediating between Ukraine and Russia. Jocelyn Coulon stresses, however, that Putin has no interest in accepting this proposal. “On the ground at the moment, the Russians are winning, he illustrates. They are making progress in the South and in the East. The situation in the coming weeks is likely to be extremely difficult for Ukraine. New weapons do not materialize immediately. »
I don’t see how a peace initiative could succeed in the next few weeks or months.
Jocelyn Coulon, guest researcher at the Center for International Studies and Research of the University of Montreal
Moscow condemns “terrorist acts”
The Russian government has also condemned “terrorist acts” in Transnistria, a pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova, including a village housing a Russian ammunition depot was targeted by gunfire. Moscow “strongly condemns the attempts to involve Transnistria in the events in Ukraine”, announced the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, in a press briefing. Kyiv for its part accused Moscow of seeking to “destabilize” Transnistria.
The ruble will be introduced in Kherson
From 1er May, the Russians who control the Ukrainian coastal city of Kherson intend to introduce there the rouble, the monetary unit of Russia. Kirill Stremoussov, deputy to the president of the Russian local administration, explained that he expected a four-month transition before accepting only the rouble. During this period, it will still be possible to use the hryvnia, Ukrainian currency. “The introduction of the Russian ruble in the Kherson region is an act of annexation and a serious violation by Russia” of the United Nations Charter, immediately denounced Lioudmila Denissova, in charge of human rights at the Ukrainian Parliament.
With The Canadian Press, Agence France-Presse and The Guardian
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- 55,635
- Number of Ukrainians who left their country to flee the Russian invasion in 24 hours, from Wednesday to Thursday. In total, nearly 5.4 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war on February 24; 90% of them are women or children, since men aged 18 to 60 are subject to military conscription.
France Media Agency