• Russia launched its "military operation" in Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Every evening, at 19:30 pm, 20 Minutes offers you its recap of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that leaves dead and wounded and thousands of refugees every day.
  • Who did what? Who said what? And who supports whom and why? You will know everything about the progress of the negotiations and the events of this crisis that is shaking Russia, Ukraine, Europe and the United States.
  • Monday marked the first day of Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow, during which Vladimir Putin said he was "open" to discussions on Beijing's proposed peace plan.

Did you miss the latest events about the war in Ukraine? Don't panic, 20 Minutes takes stock for you every night, at 19:30 pm. Who did what? Who said what? Where do we stand? The answer below:

News of the day

Beijing and Moscow are tightening their ties a little more. Vladimir Putin received his Chinese counterpart in Moscow on Monday, a visit that will last three days. The opportunity for the two powers to display their union. On this occasion, the Russian president said Monday he was "open" to discussions on the Chinese peace plan for Ukraine with Xi Jinping.

Despite its privileged relations with Moscow in the midst of tensions with the West, Beijing, which claims diplomatic influence commensurate with the weight of the Chinese economy, poses as a mediator and last month proposed an initiative to settle the conflict. "We are always open to a process of negotiations. We will undoubtedly discuss all these issues, including your initiatives, which we treat with respect," Putin said at the start of an "informal" meeting with Xi Jinping in the Kremlin, broadcast on Russian television.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, said on Monday that "the world should not be fooled" by Beijing's proposals. Kiev, for its part, hopes that Chinese President Xi Jinping will use his "influence" over Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow to "stop" the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the spokesman for Ukrainian diplomacy said Monday.

The phrase of the day

The The International Criminal Court must avoid politicization and double standards. »

The Russian president is accused by the ICC of war crimes for "illegal deportation" of Ukrainian children in the context of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Beijing then reacted to the ICC's decision. "The International Criminal Court should adopt an objective and impartial position, respect the immunity of heads of state from jurisdiction under international law," Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy, said Monday in response to a question on the subject.

The institution must "avoid politicization and double standards," he told reporters, referring to other military interventions that do not give rise to any arrest warrant for a head of state.

Today's figure

Two billion euros. This is the amount that the European Union will release to provide a million shells that Ukraine desperately needs. "We have the starting signal for concrete measures," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Monday in Brussels. "We are embarking on a new path for joint procurement," he stressed at a meeting with his EU counterparts as well as the foreign ministers of the 27 member states.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who participated by videoconference, welcomed the agreement. "More artillery ammunition for Ukraine as soon as possible. That was the main goal," he said on Twitter. This EU effort will "strengthen Ukraine's capabilities on the battlefield," he commented. For its part, the United States will deliver a new tranche of military aid amounting to $ 350 million, including ammunition for Himars rocket launchers.

Today's trend

The head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Monday that his men controlled "about 70 percent" of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, scene of heavy fighting since last summer.

Our dossier on the war in Ukraine

"At present, Wagner's units [...] continue the offensive for his complete liberation," Prigozhin said in a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu published by his press service on Telegram. These statements were independently unverifiable.

Yevgeny Prigozhin also said he expected a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces in late March-early April, intended to "cut off Wagner's units from the main forces of the Russian army." He asked Sergei Shoigu to "take measures" to prevent this situation from occurring.

  • War in Ukraine
  • World
  • Vladimir Poutine
  • Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Bakhmut
  • Wagner Group
  • China
  • Russia