Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Between the strong declarations, the progress on the front and the results of the fighting, here is the main part of this Saturday, on the 990th day of the conflict.
Fact of the day
The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, assured Ukraine of Brussels' “unwavering support” on Saturday, on the occasion of the first visit by a senior European official to kyiv since Donald Trump's victory in the American presidential election.
The victory of the Republican candidate worries in Ukraine and Europe, who fear that it will put an end to the vital military and financial support from Washington to kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion.
During his campaign, Donald Trump questioned the continuation of this aid and declared that he could reach a rapid agreement to end the war started by Russia.
“No one knows exactly what the new administration is going to do,” Josep Borrell said on Saturday, stressing that outgoing US President Joe Biden still has two months in power to make decisions.
“We must do more and faster: more military support, more training capabilities, more money, faster deliveries and authorization to strike the (Russian) enemy on military targets on its territory,” he pleaded.
Since the 2022 Russian invasion, Europe has spent around $125 billion to support Ukraine, while the United States alone has shelled out more than $90 billion, according to a study by the Kiel Institute.
Sentence of the day
« “Trump gave him the phone, they were together somewhere. The (Ukrainian) president thanked him for Starlink (the satellite link service that Elon Musk provided to Ukraine). » »
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, participated in the telephone conversation on Wednesday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump after the latter's victory in the US presidential election, a Ukrainian presidential official said on Friday. .
“I can confirm it,” replied this official, on condition of anonymity, when asked about information from the American media Axios.
Another highly placed Ukrainian source assured that Donald Trump had “passed the phone” to Elon Musk, physically present at his side, who then “briefly” spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky.
Still according to this source, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky “did not really discuss anything substantial, it was a conversation to greet each other”.
Two anonymous sources told the American media Axios that President Zelensky had been reassured by this discussion with Donald Trump, which lasted around twenty minutes.
During this call, Elon Musk also declared, according to Axios, that he would continue to support kyiv with its Starlink satellite link service.
The number of the day
35. Like the number of years since the Berlin Wall fell. Germany is celebrating this Saturday “a happy day” which also reminds us that “freedom and democracy have never been taken for granted”, declared the mayor of the German capital Kai Wegner during a ceremony attended by Head of State Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The slogan of the festivities, “Preserve freedom”, finds particular resonance at a time when democracy is in decline around the world and where wars continue to rage, in Ukraine and Gaza.
