Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on Tuesday, December 20, in Bakhmout, a city that Russian forces have been trying to take for months. “He met soldiers, spoke with them and decorated our soldiers”said the press service of the presidency. While Volodymyr Zelensky regularly travels to areas near the frontline, his visit to Bakhmout seems more risky than his other visits. Follow our live.
Vladimir Putin admits a situation “extremely difficult”. “The situation in the people’s republics of Donetsk, Luhansk, as well as in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions is extremely difficult”recognizes the Russian president in a video. In September, he had celebrated with great fanfare the annexation of these four regions of Ukraine, although the Russian army does not fully control them.
Emmanuel Macron clarifies his strategy. “The gravity of the moment requires us to be at the side of our armies“, declares the Head of State in an exclusive interview with franceinfo from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. He recalled France’s position vis-à-vis, in particular, the war in Ukraine. “It is a France which is committed, which looks at the risks in a lucid way but which wants to remain independent, strong”affirmed the chief of the Armies.
Russia is strengthening its ties with Belarus. Visiting Minsk on MondayVladimir Putin announced, during a press conference with his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, an agreement between the two countries to strengthen their cooperation in “all the domains”. These are the “common measures to ensure safety” of the two countries, with in particular “mutual arms deliveries”according to the Russian president.