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THE ESSENTIALS

  • A year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China called on Moscow and Kiev to hold peace talks and rejected any use of nuclear weapons, in a document released Friday. Volodymyr Zelensky deemed it "necessary" to "work" with Beijing and said he planned an upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, for his part, considered that the Chinese document was "not a peace plan".
  • The Ukrainian president also said he was aiming for an "inevitable victory" this year against Russia, supported by many countries and by the EU and the G7 who have announced a further strengthening of their sanctions against Moscow. In Russia, Dmitry Medvedev also promised "victory", saying that Russia was ready to go to the "borders of Poland".
  • The Swedish EU presidency also said the bloc had approved a new package of sanctions against the Russian economy on Friday evening "which includes stricter restrictions on the export of dual-use technology and goods, targeted restrictive measures against persons and entities that support war, disseminate propaganda or deliver drones used by Russia in the war and measures against the Russian disinformation."

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08:27: New European sanctions against Moscow approved

The European Union on Friday night approved a new set of sanctions aimed at hitting the economy of Russia and Iranian companies accused of supporting its invasion of Ukraine, which began just over a year ago, the Swedish presidency announced on its Twitter account.

Poland lifted its reservations at the end of the evening without having obtained the tightening of the new set of sanctions deemed "too soft, too weak" by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during his visit to Kiev to deliver the first German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks promised by Warsaw.

The 10th package of measures imposes new restrictions on EU exports to Russia for 11 billion euros and the freezing of the assets of three Russian banks and many entities, including Iranian companies, accused of supplying drones to Moscow, diplomatic sources said. The list includes 120 names, but it remains confidential until it is published in the Official Journal of the EU.


08:14: Visit to China by Belarusian President Lukashenko next week

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will visit China from Tuesday to Thursday for an official visit, China's Foreign Ministry said Saturday. "At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will pay a state visit to China from February 28 to March 2," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and supported the invasion of Ukraine of Russia, on which Belarus is financially and politically dependent.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang conveyed to his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleynik in a telephone conversation on Friday Beijing's willingness to work with Minsk to deepen political mutual trust, according to a statement from the Chinese ministry.


08h01 : Hello and welcome to this live

Hello and welcome to this new live dedicated to the war in Ukraine. Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with a multitude of tributes to the victims organized throughout Europe and in various forms, but also commitments made by Kiev's allies such as the delivery of additional heavy tanks and a new set of European sanctions against Moscow.

  • War in Ukraine
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  • World