Live – Ukraine: Putin and XI will discuss the war Thursday in Moscow

The Hungarian government, close to the Kremlin and extremely dependent on Russian energy, criticized the plan presented by the European Commission to definitively end the imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027. “After the total failure of sanctions against Russia, (it) makes another very serious mistake today by excluding in a forced, artificial and ideological ways of Russian energy” Peter Szijjarto in a video published on Facebook.

Vladimir Putin castigated him during a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, the “attempts to revision” in the history of the Second world War, whose Russian president regularly accuses Westerners.

According to a kremlin press release, “the two countries have stressed their determination to maintain the truth about the events” of this war, “to counter attempts to revise its outcome and falsify history”. During this telephone call, “the decisive contribution of the Red Army and the whole of the Soviet people to the defeat of Nazism was underlined,” he added.

The story of the crucial role of the USSR in victory against Nazi Germany has a patriotism widely exploited by the authorities, who compare the Russian offensive in Ukraine in progress since 2022 in the fight against the Nazis during the Second World War. Russia plans to commemorate on May 9 on 80th anniversary of this victory with a large military parade in Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “congratulated” the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has just been elected. On social networks, he said he hoped to see “more German leadership in European and transatlantic affairs”, “while the future of Europe is at stake”.

The European Commission unveiled its plan on Tuesday to definitively put an end to the imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027, a difficult challenge as the dependence of Europe remains important. The European executive proposes to act in two stages: the prohibition of new contracts and short contracts (spot) existing with Russian companies at the end of 2025, then the extinction of all imports of gas since Russia two years later.

“It is now time for Europe to completely break its energy ties” with Russia by Vladimir Putin, launched the president of the Ursula von der Leyen commission, more than three years after the invasion of Ukraine. “We owe it to our citizens, our businesses and our courageous Ukrainian friends,” she added.

Several times postponed before its presentation on Tuesday to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, this roadmap will now be subject to the Member States and Parliament. The discussions promise to be sensitive against the background of fears of a new outbreak of energy prices. The share of Russian gas imports into the European Union increased from 45% in 2021 to 19% in 2024.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will discuss the conflict in Ukraine and Russian-American relations Thursday in Moscow, the Kremlin announces. “The most important questions will be discussed during this head-to-head meeting: the Ukrainian file and Russian-American relations,” said the diplomatic adviser to the Russian head of state, Iouri Ouchakov, during a press point.

In addition, the latter indicated that 29 foreign leaders, including Xi Jinping, but also the Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, are expected on Friday in the Russian capital for victory celebrations on Nazi Germany, during which Chinese soldiers and 12 other countries will parade. kyiv said that she would receive any foreign participation in the parade as “support for the aggressive state”.

The cardinals gathered in Rome for the conclave called on Tuesday to “a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, in the Middle East and “in so many other parts of the worlds”, said the Vatican press service. “We cardinals (…) Regarding with regret that there has been no progress recorded to promote peace processes in Ukraine, in the Middle East and in so many other parts of the world (…) Let us invite all the faithful to intensify their prayers to the Lord for a just and lasting peace,” they said.

kyiv exhorted foreign troops on Tuesday not to participate in the great parade of May 9 in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany so as not to “share the responsibility” of the “atrocities” of the Russian army in Ukraine. “The Russian army (…) continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine in Ukraine that Europe had not known since the Second World War,” said Ukrainian diplomacy in a statement. “Walking with them is sharing the responsibility for the blood of Ukrainian children, civilians and soldiers” and “not celebrate victory over Nazism.”

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had exchanged Ukrainian prisoners of war on Tuesday 205 prisoners of the Russian war prisoners, at the forefront of a three-day ceasefire (from May 8 to 10) unilaterally decreed by the master of Kremlin, Vladimir Putin. “On May 6, 205 Russian soldiers were dismissed from the territory controlled by the kyiv regime and 205 prisoners of war from the Ukrainian armed forces were presented in exchange,” the Russian ministry said in a statement.

Three days of commemorations in Moscow of the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, a climate of uncertainty reigns in Russia. Ukraine launched, last night, more than a hundred drones on Russian soil. The capital Moscow, a high place of the great military parade wanted by Putin, has been targeted.

The Kremlin warned Tuesday that the Russian army would respond “immediately” in the event of a Ukrainian attack during the truce of hostilities unilaterally ordered by Putin between May 8 and 10. “If the kyiv regime does not do the same and continues to try to hit our positions or our facilities, an adequate response will be immediately given,” said spokesman for the Russian presidency Dmitri Peskov.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the “theatrical performance” of his Russian counterpart, acting the rejection of kyiv who always requires an “unconditional” ceasefire.

A year after having noticed the use of incapacitating gas by Russian forces on the front, an LCI team returned to the site. Attacks using chemical weapons have intensified on the battlefield, with the use of more dangerous agents, such as chloropicrin.

Russia was targeted on the night of Monday to Tuesday by 105 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The governors of the southern regions of Voronej and Penza indicated that respectively 18 and 10 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted in their territory, without making victims. In the border region of Koursk, a Ukrainian attack injured two teenagers aged 14 and 17 and caused power cuts, said the acting governor Alexandre Khinsteïn.

Russian President Vladimir Putin must speak on May 9 before Russian troops and the leaders of around twenty countries gathered in the Red Square for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, a commemorated event for the third consecutive year in the shadow of the conflict in Ukraine. This year, the master of the Kremlin ordered his soldiers to observe a cease-fire in Ukraine from May 8 to 10, on the occasion of these celebrations which will be crowned by a large military parade in Moscow.

Ukraine launched major drones attacks on Monday to Tuesday in Russian territory, targeting Moscow and disturbing the operation of a dozen airports, the Russian authorities said. The mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobianine, said that 19 drones targeting it had been intercepted by the anti-aircraft defense. These attacks come three days from the commemorations of victory over Nazi Germany, while Moscow must welcome a large military parade in the presence of Vladimir Putin on Friday and around twenty foreign leaders, including Xi Jinping.

Hello and welcome to TF1info to follow together the latest news on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, started on February 24, 2022 with the invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin.