The diplomatic storm calmed slightly on Saturday, November 23, after strong tensions throughout the week surrounding the use of hypersonic missiles by Russia, coupled with a nuclear threat.
And the setbacks keep coming for Ukraine. kyiv lost more than 40% of the territory in Russia's Kursk region that it quickly seized last summer in a surprise incursion, with Russian forces stepping up counterattacks to regain this ground, it has been learned. Reuters from a high-ranking Ukrainian military source.
The source, who is from Ukraine's General Staff, said Russia had deployed some 59,000 troops to the Kursk region since kyiv's forces swept into Russian territory.
France rules out “no option” in its support for Ukraine
“We will support Ukraine as intensely and as long as necessary. For what ? Because it is our security that is at stake. Every time the Russian army advances by one square kilometer, the threat moves one square kilometer closer to Europe,” declared Jean-Noël Barrot, the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the BBC, in an interview.
“In the logic of self-defense”, the head of the Quai d'Orsay does not exclude that kyiv could fire long-range French missiles at Russia. He did not confirm that such weapons had ever been used. As for sending French troops, Paris does not rule out “no option”. “Western allies should not set limits on support for Ukraine against Russia,” adds the minister.
Read also: War in Ukraine: in Toretsk, a pivotal city of Donbass, Ukrainians in great difficulty
The French minister reaffirmed the importance of the financial and military support that the Europeans must provide to kyiv, while Donald Trump will succeed Joe Biden in January: “We need to figure out how much money Ukraine needs to fight through 2025 and 2026. It's hard to ask the American taxpayer to foot the bill. » Jean-Noël Barrot also said “open to invitation” for Ukraine to join NATO, as Voloydmyr Zelensky wishes.
Russia encourages even more to mobilize
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that allows those who sign up to fight in Ukraine to forgive debts they fail to pay up to the equivalent of €92,000, according to the government.
The new legislation will allow everyone who signs a one-year contract to go to fight in Ukraine after December 1 to free themselves from debts, for which a collection order was issued before this date. It will also apply to their spouses.
The total amount of debts covered will be 10 million rubles, or around €92,000 at the current rate. This measure, approved Tuesday by the Russian Parliament, is considered by experts to be a strong incentive, as Russia seeks volunteers for a conflict that has now lasted more than a thousand days.
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