what to remember from Friday March 1st

kyiv notably signed a bilateral security agreement with the Netherlands on Friday, which provides, among other things, military aid of two billion euros for kyiv.

Ukraine and the Netherlands signed a bilateral security agreement in Kharkiv (Ukraine), Friday March 1, which notably provides for two billion euros in military aid to kyiv, announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In Russia, despite the risk of being arrested,Thousands of people attended the funeral of Alexei Navalny in Moscow on Friday. Supporters of the political opponent, who died in a prison in the Russian Arctic, chanted “No to war!”, “We will not forget you!” or “We will not forgive!” Here’s what to remember from Friday.

A security agreement between the Netherlands and Ukraine

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signed a security agreement with Ukraine on Friday during a trip to Kharkiv, the country’s second city battling the Russian invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky announced.

According to the Ukrainian head of state, this document is planned to last ten years “also defines aid priorities” Dutch, in the sectors “anti-aircraft defense, artillery, maritime and long-range weapons, with emphasis on strengthening the air force” Ukrainian.

“I am grateful to Prime Minister Rutte for this agreement, which will strengthen the defense of Ukraine, in particular of the city of Kharkiv, where we met today”greeted Volodymyr Zelensky.

Paris wants to do everything to avoid the collapse of Ukraine

France is doing everything possible to avoid a collapse of Ukraine, without waging war on Russia, insisted the head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Séjourné, on Friday at France Inter. “Everything we do is to avoid war and obviously not to add a level of worry to the French”, assured the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The latter was questioned about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine, mentioned at the start of the week by Emmanuel Macron.

“We have information (in this sense)that Russia will not stop there”alerted the minister, referring to the fact that Moscow could invade other countries.

Emmanuel Macron will bring together party leaders on Ukraine

The Head of State will bring together the leaders of the main parties at the Elysée on Thursday morning to discuss “the situation in Ukraine”AFP learned Friday from the presidency, confirming information from Figaro.

The meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. It will take place in the format of the “Saint-Denis Meetings”, led by the president in recent months with the leaders of the majority and opposition parties having a group in Parliament, the Elysée said. It should precede the debate in Parliament, followed by a vote, on the question of support for kyiv, at the request of Emmanuel Macron. The date for this debate has not yet been set.

The oppositions have for the most part criticized the recent positions taken by the head of state concerning the possible sending of Western troops to Ukraine.

Thousands of Russians at the funeral of Alexeï Navalny

Several thousand people were present at the funeral of Alexei Navalny in Moscow on Friday. Many had flowers and some were in tears after the death of the Russian opponent, in troubled circumstances in prison. After a short ceremony in a church where his remains were displayed in an open coffin, in accordance with the Orthodox rite, the opponent was buried in the Borissovo cemetery, according to AFP journalists.

Many people paraded in front of his grave. Outside, several thousand people gathered, forming a very long line, while riot police dotted the area with barriers. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov warned of potential sanctions in the event of participation in any demonstration “unauthorized” on the occasion of this funeral.

During the day, the police made at least 128 arrests in 19 Russian cities, during rallies in tribute to the former anti-corruption activist, according to the specialized NGO OVD-Info.

Paris and Berlin salute the “courage” of the Russians who came to pay tribute to him

The American ambassador and her French and German counterparts went to the funeral site, as did three opposition figures still at large: Evgeni Roïzman, Boris Nadezhdine and Ekaterina Dountsova.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the “Brave Russians” who dared to go to the funeral “and thus took a great risk – for freedom”. “It took courage to go and pay tribute to Alexeï Navalny. Thousands of Russians did not miss it. His legacy is there. Eternal memory”wrote Emmanuel Macron in a message on the social network X.

The head of Russian diplomacy in Türkiye

The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, began a two-day visit to Turkey. The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs participated in the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya (south), an annual meeting to which countries friendly to Ankara are invited.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Turkey has maintained close ties with the two belligerents, and twice hosted direct negotiations between Moscow and kyiv in March 2022. “We must seriously look for ways to bring the parties together”declared the head of Turkish diplomacy, Hakan Fidan, in his opening speech at the Antalya Forum. “We are ready, as yesterday, to do everything possible to facilitate the peace negotiations”he added.