War in Ukraine: Zelensky meets Macron this Friday, seven dead in Belgorod, reinforcement in Avdiïvka… update on the situation

Volodymyr Zelensky et Emmanuel Macron le 14 mai 2023. (illustration) EPA – CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce jeudi 15 février 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

Zelensky Friday in Paris for the signing of a security agreement

France and Ukraine will sign a bilateral security agreement on Friday during a visit to Paris by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said L&# 39;Elysée this Thursday. The Ukrainian president will visit France and Germany on Friday and will speak at the Munich security conference on Saturday, the Ukrainian presidency announced.

Volodmyr Zelensky's visit to Paris "will be an opportunity, for the President of the Republic [Emmanuel Macron], to reaffirm France's determination to continue to provide, over time and with all from its partners, unwavering support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people", said the Elysée.

The two leaders will detail during a press conference the details of the bilateral security agreement that they will sign. This agreement follows the commitments that were made in G7 format on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023, recalled the Elysée. The G7 countries then presented a multilateral initiative aimed at giving Kiev long-term security assurances.

The agreement between France and Ukraine would define a framework for long-term humanitarian and financial assistance, reconstruction aid and military support. According to two diplomats familiar with the discussions, France could announce a fund of 200 million euros for civil projects carried out by French companies. He will not provide specific financial commitments regarding arms deliveries to Kiev, which would require parliamentary approval, diplomatic sources say.

Emmanuel Macron, on the other hand, will probably make announcements. France has been criticized by some allies for its reluctance to make its military commitments public. According to a report from the Kiel Institute in Germany, France is the 12th largest contributor of civil and military aid to Ukraine with a total of 1.7 billion euros. French officials believe these calculations are biased and emphasize the quality of the weapons supplied by France, considered crucial for the Ukrainian war effort.

This will be Volodymyr Zelensky's third visit to Paris since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after those of February and May 2023.

The Ukrainian army retreats to "more advantageous positions" in Avdiivka

The Ukrainian army began redeploying troops to "more advantageous positions" in Avdiivka, target of multiple Russian assaults in eastern Ukraine, military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said this Thursday.

A logistics route to Avdiivka has been set up but it is "difficult"to supply the town and evacuate the inhabitants, added the officer, interviewed on television. "In Avdiivka, a maneuver is underway in some sectors to withdraw our units to more advantageous positions, and in some sectors to drive the Russians out of their positions", said Dmytro Lykhoviy.

The 3rd Assault Brigade, which took part in the Ukrainian summer counter-offensive and the Battle of Bakhmut, announced for her part having been sent as reinforcements to the Avdiivka front. "The situation at the time the brigade was sent was extremely critical", she said on Telegram.

"The enemy continues the active rotation of its troops (around Avdiivka) and deploys new forces and new equipment in the city", she added. Russian forces have been trying to capture Avdiivka since October. According to Dmytro Lykhoviy, Russia has concentrated some 50,000 troops on this front.

Seven dead in Ukrainian bombing of Belgorod, Russia says

Seven people, including a one-year-old child, were killed this Thursday in a Ukrainian bombing of Belgorod, a town in southern Russia near the border with Ukraine , declared the governor of the region. Vyacheslav Gladkov added that 18 other people, including four children, were injured in the attack.

Six people are in serious condition. Four people, including two children, were released from the hospital, the governor added. "We are all in mourning with the families and friends of the victims", wrote Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram messaging. "I want to express my sincere condolences, realizing that there are no words that can ease this pain". The Ukrainian authorities did not immediately react.

Belgorod and its region are the target of frequent attacks following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian authorities have claimed that 25 civilians were killed during the largest of them, at the end of December. The governor of the neighboring Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, said a shopping center, an outdoor sports facility and residential areas were affected. "The enemy is deliberately hitting a group of civilians", he commented.

In a video published by Russian media, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov can be seen arriving in front of the Magnit store, almost all of whose windows have been shattered. Other images show residential complexes with windows blown out and emergency workers helping the injured at an outdoor sports complex.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense systems shot down 14 Ukrainian missiles over the Belgorod region.