Russia has taken the next step in Mariupol, a major port city in southern Ukraine. The last pocket of resistance in the city was pounded by the Russian army on Tuesday May 3. On the diplomatic front, Emmanuel Macron spoke for more than two hours with Vladimir Putin while the European Union is preparing a new salvo of sanctions. Franceinfo summarizes the highlights of the day.
The Russian army launched an offensive on the Azovstal factory in Mariupol
Moscow has decided to attack the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, the major port in southeastern Ukraine besieged and ravaged by fighting. “Units of the Russian army and the Donetsk People’s Republic, using artillery and aircraft, begin to destroy” the “shooting positions” of Ukrainian fighters, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“A powerful assault on the territory of Azovstal is currently underway, with the support of armored vehicles, tanks, with attempts to land troops, with the help of boats and a large number of elements of infantry”said Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Azov regiment, in a video message on Telegram.
Until now the Russian forces pounded by plane and from the sea this steelworks, whose immense underground galleries dating from the Second World War sheltered combatants and civilians deprived of water, food and medicine, without trying to enter.
Emmanuel Macron calls on Vladimir Putin to “allow the continuation of evacuations from the Azovstal factory” in Mariupol
The French president and his Russian counterpart stayed on the phone for more than two hours on Tuesday at midday. Emmanuel Macron claims to have called on Vladimir Putin to “to allow the evacuations of the Azovstal factory to continue” in Mariupol. During the call, according to the Elysée, the French head of state “marked its continued availability to work on the conditions of a negotiated solution to allow peace and full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”renewing “his demand for a ceasefire”.
According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin told Emmanuel Macron that “The West could help stop these atrocities by exerting appropriate influence on the authorities in kyiv, as well as by stopping the supply of arms to Ukraine”.
The telephone discussion was the first between the two leaders since March 29 and the discovery of the Boutcha massacre, strongly denounced by the French president and all Western leaders. It comes after the telephone conversation that the French head of state had on Saturday with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, who had deemed it useful for him to discuss with the Russian president.
Joe Biden wants to ‘make sure Ukrainians have the weapons they need to defend themselves’
The US President hailed “the great bravery of these Ukrainians who fight with everything they have”. “It’s not only the soldiers, but also the people on the streets, who stayed put (…) and are fighting in their country”he added in front of employees of a factory that manufactures Javelin anti-tank missiles.
“The United States calls on its allies around the world that Ukrainians who fight for their nation have the weapons and equipment necessary to defend themselves against this atrocious war of Putin”continued Joe Biden. “It’s about allowing the Ukrainians to defend themselves and, really, they make fun of the Russian military”estimated the tenant of the White House, who insisted: “You allow the Ukrainian people to defend themselves, without us risking launching into a third world war by sending American soldiers.”
The European Union is preparing a new salvo of sanctions
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said that the European Union (EU) plans to “limit energy imports from Russia, especially oil”. He added that “there will be other Russian banks coming out of Swift”the American interbank payment system at the heart of global financial exchanges.
A draft embargo on oil and petroleum products purchased from Russia was submitted to EU member countries on Tuesday but the measure still raises reservations, several European officials and diplomats told AFP.
>> What are the alternatives to Russian gas and oil for Europeans?
The European Commission has finalized its proposal for a sixth sanctions package against Moscow. It provides for a gradual cessation of European purchases over a period of six to eight months until the end of 2022, with an exemption for Hungary and Slovakia, two landlocked countries totally dependent on deliveries by the Druzhba pipeline, which will be able to continue their purchases from Russia in 2023, said a European official.