War in Ukraine: drones shot down in Odessa, NATO response to the Pope, Macron's trip postponed… update on the situation

magictr | March 11, 2024 | News | No Comments

Des soldats à Bakhmout le 7 mars 2024. (illustration) MAXPPP – Madeleine Kelly

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Monday March 11, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict.

Macron postpones his trip to Ukraine

The trip that French President Emmanuel Macron is planning to make to Ukraine should take place "in the coming weeks"< /em>, announced this Sunday in a press release from the Elysée.

Emmanuel Macron was initially scheduled to go to kyiv in February to sign a security agreement with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. "The two heads of state finally agreed to remain in close contact, particularly regarding the visit of the President of the Republic to Ukraine, which should take place in the coming weeks", says the press release from the French presidency.

Ukraine says it shot down 15 drones over Odessa

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 15 of 25 drones launched by Russia during a night attack on the Odessa region in the south of the country, they said on Monday the army and regional authorities.

Ten Shahed drones were shot down over the Black Sea port of Odessa, the Ukrainian army said in a statement ? "New massive nighttime drone attack by the Russians in the Odessa region. The fighting lasted an hour and a half", said Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odessa region.

"Air defense units repelled numerous waves of Shaheds from the Black Sea with complex maneuvers and between residential buildings and industrial zones , which made the work of air defense more difficult." Oleh Kiper said that an administrative building and commercial buildings were damaged. No casualties were immediately reported.

The Odessa region, in the south of the country, has been the subject of six drone attacks since the start of the month. Russia stepped up bombing of Ukrainian ports, including Odessa, and grain infrastructure after Moscow withdrew last summer from a deal reached under the # 39;aegis of the United Nations, which allowed certain food exports to circulate, despite the war, which is now in its third year.

Ukraine is a major agricultural producer and exporter and Kiev has since established an alternative corridor to ship its products via its Black Sea ports near Odessa.

Ukraine needs weapons not white flags, Stoltenberg (NATO) responds to the Pope

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that Ukraine needed weapons against Russia, in a response to Pope Francis who called on Kiev to have the "courage" to wave the white flag to end the conflict.

"If we want a lasting peaceful solution, the way to achieve it is to provide military support to Ukraine", a Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters. "What happens around a negotiating table is closely linked to the balance of power on the battlefield", a declared the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in an interview given at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels. "This is not the time to discuss a capitulation of the Ukrainians. It would be a tragedy for Ukrainians. It would also be dangerous for all of us", he added.

In an interview with Swiss radio RSI last month, Pope Francis said Ukraine must have the "courage" to wave the white flag and "negotiate" an armistice with Russia. Ukraine has rejected the pontiff's calls, with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry clarifying that kyiv will never capitulate.

Ukraine maintains that it will not discuss with Russia until Moscow's troops have left its territory. "It's quite understandable that (the pope) is in favor of negotiations", reacted the spokesperson for his part of the Kremlin, adding that Vladimir Putin was open to peace talks.

"Unfortunately, the statements of the Pope and other parties, including ours, have received outright rejections", Dmitry Peskov told journalists. Volodymyr Zelensky presented a ten-point peace plan at a G20 summit in November 2022. It includes the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the total withdrawal of Russian troops. The Kremlin called the peace plan “absurd”.

Trump won't give money to Ukraine if elected, says Orban

Former US President Donald Trump, running for another term, won't give money to help Ukraine fight Russia 39;he is elected in November, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after a meeting between the two men.

The very conservative Viktor Orban, who supports Donald Trump's candidacy for the presidential election, met the former tenant of the White House on Friday in Florida. "He will not give a cent to the war between Ukraine and Russia and therefore the war will end" , declared Viktor Orban on public television this Sunday at the end of the day.

"It is obvious that Ukraine cannot stand alone". "If the Americans do not give money and weapons, as well as the Europeans, this war will be over. And if the Americans don't give money, the Europeans are unable to finance this war on their own, and then the war will end".

A statement released by Donald Trump's team does not mention Ukraine and specifies that the two men discussed issues concerning their two countries, including the security of their borders respective. Viktor Orban has always refused to send weapons to Kiev since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Hungary having maintained close economic ties with Moscow.

Questioned this Monday about Viktor Orban's statements regarding Donald Trump's position on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov indicated &amp ;quot;have nothing to say".