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10:00 a.m. : Volodymyr Zelensky has just arrived in Brussels to meet the Twenty-Seven of the EU and ask for new aid. The Ukrainian president was welcomed this morning by Emmanuel Macron at the Villacoublay air base on his way to Belgium.
(MOHAMMED BADRA / AFP)
09:58 : In the commune of Bakhmout, in the east of Ukraine, the fighting is incessant. Exhausted, the Ukrainian soldiers take refuge in secret underground shelters to rest. Reporting.
09:45 : The Russian paramilitary group Wagner says it has stopped recruiting inmates from prisons across Russia to send them to fight in Ukraine. “Recruitment (…) has completely stopped”, said the head of this organization, Evguéni Prigojine, quoted in a press release. The Wagner group has so far recruited thousands of detainees to fight in Ukraine in exchange for sentence reductions.
09:41 : Good morning @PoyDavid. There is no doubt room for a cot in the Elysée Palace, but a priori Volodymyr Zelensky preferred the comfort of a Parisian hotel. According The Parisianthe name of the Intercontinental, a palace accustomed to prestigious visits, has been mentioned, but there has been no official confirmation.
09:41 : Good morning. Where are the heads of state sleeping after late meetings like last night with Macron? Are there any rooms provided at the Elysée?
09:30 : “The priority is ground support”, assures franceinfo the deputy Renaissance Thomas Gassilloud. The chairman of the National Defense and Armed Forces Committee in the Assembly assures us that the war in Ukraine will be fought on the ground and insists on France’s responsibility, as a nuclear power, to maintain dialogue with Vladimir Putin.
09:26 : Good morning @More informations. I imagine that you are referring to the trip of the day by Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky. To answer your question, the travel time by plane between Paris and Brussels is around 1 hour. Travel time by train is usually 1 hour and 22 minutes (yes, that’s accurate), thanks to the Thalys high-speed trains. Generally, heads of state put forward the argument of security to justify air travel.
09:24 : Hello FI. How long does the flight take? How long would the same train journey take? There is a tgv line between the 2 capitals, right?
09:21 : London, Paris then Brussels: the European journey of Volodymyr Zelensky is scrutinized by the Ukrainians. “We need weapons, F 16 planes, tanks, armored vehicles. Enough words, we want action”claim the inhabitants of kyiv met by the correspondent of franceinfo on the spot.
07:52 : Tribute to Ukraine and its people. Tribute to you, dear Volodymyr, for your courage and commitment. https://t.co/6sN2iVUWrl
07:51 : Emmanuel Macron presented last night to Volodymyr Zelensky the Grand’Croix de la Légion d’honneur, the highest distinction that a French president can award to his counterpart. The French and Ukrainian presidents will travel together this morning by plane from Paris to the summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels, the Elysée announced.
08:08 : Le Parisien / Today in France divides its front page, with on one side Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Paris, and on the other the responses of the CEO of TotalEnergies after the announcement of record profits for the oil company. “We will have paid in 2022 in the world 33 billion euros of taxes and duties“provides daily (subscribers link) Patrick Pouyanne.
08:08 : “I try to put words to the unspeakable.” Release (subscribers link) continues to publish a Ukrainian soldier’s war diary. “I’m alive but I’ve never been so unhappy. Something has changed”testifies in particular Timur Dzhafarov.
08:09 : Let’s go to the press review of the day. “By helping us, Europeans are helping themselves”says Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the Figaro (subscribers link). “Everyone now understands that no one can guarantee that Vladimir Putin will stop in Ukraine and not attack other countries.”
06:47 : Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in Brussels today as guest of honor at a summit of the Twenty-Seven. The Ukrainian president is expected to plead for his allies to deliver fighter jets to him “earlier”as he did yesterday in London and Paris. “It is a strong signal that the President is personally participating in this first meeting of the year of EU Heads of State and Government, a signal of European solidarity”welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.