War in Ukraine: sending Western troops, “special court”, use of chloropicrin… update on the situation

L'attaque à Odessa le 1er mai 2024. MAXPPP – Nina Liashonok/Avalon

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce jeudi 2 mai 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

Emmanuel Macron once again assumes the possibility of sending Western troops on the ground

Emmanuel Macron once again assumed the possibility of sending Western troops on the ground to Ukraine, estimating in an interview published Thursday by The Economist that it would take "asking the question" if Moscow "was going to break through the front lines" and kyiv asked for it.

"If the Russians were to break through the front lines, if there was a Ukrainian request – which is not the case today – we should legitimately ask ourselves the question", said the French president to the British weekly The Economist.

"To dismiss it a priori is to fail to learn the lessons of the last two years", while NATO countries had initially ruled out sending tanks and planes to Ukraine before finally changing course ;#39;opinion, he added.

The French head of state created controversy at the end of February by asserting that sending Western troops to Ukrainian soil should not be "be excluded" in the future.

What is chloropicrin, this chemical agent that the United States accuses Russia of having used?

The United States accuses Russia of using a chemical agent, chloropicrin, against Ukrainian forces, in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), according to a department statement of State this Wednesday, May 1.

"The use of these chemicals is not an isolated incident and is likely motivated by Russian forces' desire to dislodge forces Ukrainian fortified positions and make tactical advances on the battlefield", writes the State Department in a press release published Wednesday, May 1, 2024.< /p>

Furthermore, Russia is using riot control agents as a "method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the convention& quot;, adds American diplomacy in this text.

Washington announced at the same time on Wednesday a new wave of sanctions targeting Russian or foreign companies or individuals, accused of participating in the Russian war effort in the invasion of the ;Ukraine.

In addition to Russian defense companies, as well as Chinese entities, these sanctions also concern several research units and companies involved in Russian chemical and biological weapons programs.

"Russia's continued disregard for its obligations under the CIAC follows the same logic as the poisoning operations of ;rsquo;Alexeï Navalny and Sergeï and Yulia Skripal with Novichok type nerve agents", continues the State Department.

Russia has declared that it no longer possesses a military chemical arsenal, but the country faces pressure for more transparency over the use of toxic weapons of which it is accused .

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), chloropicrin is a chemical that has been used as a war agent and pesticide and which, if inhaled, presents a health risk.

NATO condemns "malicious activities" of Moscow on its territory

NATO countries said on Thursday "deeply concerned about malicious activities" of Russia "conducted recently on Alliance territory", while ensuring that these "will not dissuade them from continuing to support Ukraine".

In a press release, the Allies denounce "hostile state activities affecting Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Latvia , Lithuania, Poland and the United Kingdom". "The incidents in question are part of the framework of the intensification of activities that Russia is carrying out throughout the Euro-Atlantic area, and in particular on the territory of the Alliance, by calling on intermediates".

"These are acts of sabotage, acts of violence, cyber activities , electronic disruptions, disinformation campaigns and other hybrid activities", they detail, adding that these "hybrid activities constitute a threat" to their security.

"We will act individually and collectively in response to these actions and we will continue to work closely together", they continue . "We will ensure that the Alliance and Allies are prepared to provide deterrence and defense against hybrid activities or attacks". "We condemn Russia's attitude and call on it to respect its international obligations, as the Allies do. Russia's actions will not dissuade us from continuing to support Ukraine, they conclude.

At the end of March, Prague revealed the discovery by Czech intelligence services of a network orchestrated by Moscow which spread pro-Russian propaganda on Ukraine via the Voice of Europe website, and is suspected of # 39;have corrupted MEPs. In the United Kingdom, authorities said in late April that a 20-year-old British man had been charged in London under the national security law for allegedly organizing attacks against "companies linked to Ukraine".

The French Minister Delegate for Europe Jean-Noël Barrot recently indicated that France and other European countries were "shelled by Russia's propaganda" in the run-up to the European elections, which will take place from June 6 to 9 in the EU.

New step towards a "special court" to judge Russia

The Council of Europe has instructed its Secretary General to work on preparations for a "special tribunal"< /em> in order to judge "the crime of aggression" of Russia against&#39 ;Ukraine, an "important decision" welcomed by kyiv.

According to the decision, consulted on Thursday by AFP, the Committee of Ministers of the Council on Tuesday authorized Marija Pejcinovic Buric "to prepare all the necessary documents to contribute to consultations on a possible draft agreement" between the Council of Europe and Ukraine, "Regarding the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine", which no international jurisdiction currently has the power to judge. The text does not mention any timetable or specific deadlines.

Executive body of the Council of Europe, this committee is made up of the foreign ministers of the 46 member countries of the Council, including Ukraine. Russia was excluded from this organization, guarantor of the rule of law on the continent, just after launching its war against kyiv in February 2022.

The contours of this future tribunal are still very vague and Ms. Buric, whose mandate ends in September, will have to clarify the question of the "status& ;quot; of the jurisdiction as well as a "possible draft agreement" on, notably, "its financing", according to the text.

In a speech at the summit of the leaders of the "core", the coalition of countries in favor of the creation of this tribunal special, she had already indicated that the Council of Europe was ready to support international efforts towards the creation of such a jurisdiction. Other international tribunals have emerged in the past, such as that on Rwanda or the former Yugoslavia, under the aegis of the UN.

"I welcome the decision" of the Committee of Ministers, reacted on court". In May 2023, the Council of Europe summit decided in Reykjavik to create in The Hague an international register intended to assess the damage caused by the war in Ukraine and to prepare the invoice which will be presented one day in Moscow.

For its part, the International Criminal Court (ICC), which cannot judge Russia for the crime of aggression, issued arrest warrants at the beginning of March against two leading Russian military officials. A year ago, she issued an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin for the "illegal deportation" of & #39;Ukrainian children.