War in Ukraine: American aid, weapons seized from Iran, deaths in Odessa, peace conference… update on the situation

La ville d'Odessa touchée le 26 mars 2024. (illustration) MAXPPP – Nina Liashonok

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Wednesday, April 10, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict.

Biden urges House of Representatives to vote "now” aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden called on the House of Representatives in Washington on Wednesday to immediately vote to release billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.

"The majority of Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly support Ukraine. There must be a vote now", the president declared to the press while the leader of the House, Republican Mike Johnson, is blocking the examination of this envelope.

The United States transfers weapons seized from Iran to kyiv

The United States transferred thousands of infantry weapons and more than 500,000 shells seized more than 500,000 rounds ago to Ukraine last week. #39;a year aboard ships "stateless" chartered by Iran to Yemen's Houthi rebels, said Tuesday the American army.

These weapons, including 5,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, machine guns, rifles and grenade launchers, were sent to kyiv on April 4 and "constitute sufficient material to equip" a brigade of several thousand men, said Central Command (Centcom) in a press release broadcast on the X platform.

American military assistance to Ukraine is blocked in Congress by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, who refuses to organize a vote on granting Kiev $60 billion in aid.

EU Court of Justice removes two Russian oligarchs from its sanctions list

The Court of Justice of the European Union on Wednesday annulled the inclusion of Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman, two Russian billionaires sanctioned in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the list of European Union sanctions.

"The Court considers that none of the reasons appearing in the initial documents are sufficiently substantiated and that the registration of MM. Aven and Fridman on the disputed lists was therefore not justified", specifies a press release published by the judicial body.

According to the Council of the European Union, the two Russian billionaires "provided material or financial support to Russian decision-makers and supported actions and policies which compromise or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine'.

Switzerland will host a conference on peace in Ukraine in mid-June

The Swiss government will organize a high-level conference on peace in Ukraine on June 15 and 16, in which Russia has already warned that it will not participate.

The Federal Council announced last January its intention to host this meeting at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and has since carried out consultations with the European Union, the G7 member countries and countries like China and India in order to obtain their support.

In a press release published on Wednesday, the Swiss government estimated that there was now sufficient international support to launch the peace process. The conference will take place at the luxury hotel Bürgenstock in the canton of Nidwalden, near Lucerne in the center of the country.

The objective is to constitute a favorable framework for achieving lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine as well as a concrete roadmap for Moscow's participation in the peace process, explained the Federal Council. The list of participating countries has not been revealed. Several Russian officials have already warned that Moscow does not intend to participate in this conference, believing that Switzerland has renounced its neutrality in the Ukrainian conflict.

Russia says it is open to discussions on peace in Ukraine, provided that "new realities on the ground" since its invasion of the country launched in February 2022, while kyiv is demanding the restoration of its territorial integrity and the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Russian missiles kill four in the Odessa region

Russian missile fire killed four people, including a 10-year-old girl, and injured seven early Wednesday evening in the Odessa region, in southern Russia. ;Ukraine, said the regional governor.

One of the injured people is in serious condition, Oleh Kiper said on Telegram messaging.

The missiles, apparently Iskander-Ms, struck between 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. GMT). They also damaged port infrastructure