War in Ukraine: Macron and Zelensky sign a security agreement… an update on the situation

Zelensky était à Paris ce vendredi MAXPPP – THIBAULT CAMUS/POOL

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce vendredi 16 février 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

Ukraine withdraws from a position in the southeast of Avdiivka

The Ukrainian army said Friday it had withdrawn its troops from a position in the southeast of Avdiivka, a town besieged by Russian forces in the # 39;eastern Ukraine.

Speaking of "difficult situation on the battlefield", the commander of the Ukrainian forces for the Southeast, Oleksandr Tarnavsky said the priority was to preserve the lives of soldiers, as the fortified position 'Zenit', in the southeast of Avdiivka, had been reduced to state of ruins.

"The enemy launches massive bombardments night and day and continues to attack simultaneously from several directions", he added.

"From a tactical point of view, securing these positions does not give the enemy a strategic advantage and does not change the situation regarding defense operations", Oleksandr Tarnavsky further assured, according to whom the Russians are suffering heavy losses.

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said regarding Avdiivka during his visit to Germany that Kyiv's priority was to minimize losses while striving to defend strategic routes.

Macron and Zelensky sign France-Ukraine security agreement

France and Ukraine signed a bilateral security agreement on Friday on the occasion of the visit to Paris of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, received by Emmanuel Macron at the # 39;Elysée a few days before the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This agreement, of the same inspiration as that signed a few hours earlier by Volodimir Zelensky in Germany, essentially includes commitments in principle in terms of military and civilian support and aims, according to the # 39;Elysée, to reaffirm France's support for Ukraine at a time when the latter is experiencing difficulties on the front, while crucial military aid from the United States is delayed by political battles to the American Congress.