Germany strengthens its army
The government and the conservative opposition in Germany reached an agreement on Sunday to bend the budgetary rules of the national constitution, which makes it possible to release 100 billion euros to modernize the army in the face of the Russian threat. The agreement was adopted after difficult negotiations, which lasted several weeks between the coalition parties – social democrats, ecologists and liberals – and the conservative political family of the former chancellor, Angela Merkel. The agreement will make it possible to fulfill the promise made by the Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, shortly after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine: to release a special fund of 100 billion euros to rearm the country over the next few years.
Biden refuses to deliver rocket launchers
US President Joe Biden on Monday ruled out delivering long-range rocket launcher systems to Ukraine that could reach Russia, despite repeated requests from kyiv for such weapons. “We are not going to send rocket systems to Ukraine that can strike inside Russia,” Joe Biden told reporters. American media had claimed in recent days that Washington was preparing the delivery of long-range multiple rocket launcher systems to kyiv, after the approval by Congress of additional aid to Ukraine of 40 billion dollars. These modern vehicles are highly mobile and have a firing range of 300 kilometers.
Ukrainian army says advancing in the south of the country
Ukrainian forces say they are regaining ground in the south of the country, particularly in the region of Kherson, a city near Crimea which came under Russian control in early March. In an update published early Monday, kyiv said in particular that it had progressed near Bilogirka, about 100 kilometers north of Kherson. For its part, Moscow only mentioned fighting in this region, indicating that it had shelled military equipment in Mykolaiv and destroyed Ukrainian rockets in flight near Chornobaivka, about fifteen kilometers northwest of Kherson.
With Agence France-Presse
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