This Tuesday, November 19, the war in Ukraine entered its thousandth day, marked by significant developments that could redefine the course of the conflict. Russia has thus accused Ukraine of having launched for the first time ATACMS missiles supplied by the United States on its territory.
According to an article from Monde dated this day, kyiv's Western allies “have wasted precious time to weigh the pros and cons before lifting the ban on long-range missiles. We must hope that the authorization given by the United States to Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory using ATACMS will be quickly followed by similar decisions from other allied countries..
The attack, which would have affected the Bryansk region, however represents a major escalation in the conflict. The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, immediately promised a response “appropriate” to these shots, denouncing the involvement of the United States in these strikes and seeing it as a “new phase” in the conflict.
“We see this as a new phase in the Western war against Russia and we will respond accordingly”he declared to the press in Rio de Janeiro, after the G20 summit, urging Westerners to read “the whole” of the new Russian doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons.
A military escalation right for this “anniversary”
Indeed, “by chance” of the calendar, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed that same day a decree expanding the conditions under which Russia could use nuclear weaponsparticularly in the event of massive attacks supported by nuclear powers.
Faced with this tense situation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would not give in to Russian aggression.
He expressed his belief that the outcome of the conflict would be decided in 2025 and stressed the importance of maintaining the resilience of the Ukrainian state. However, he also acknowledged that Ukraine may have to wait for a change leadership in Russia to regain its territorial integrity.
Zelensky insisted that “Ukraine can defeat Russia”while admitting that this would be “very difficult”. He warned that conditions on the ground are deteriorating and Ukraine had to prepare for a prolonged struggle.
Ukraine said on Tuesday that she would not submit “Never”despite its profound difficulties on the battlefield and the uncertainty weighing on the sustainability of American support.
In its press release, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recalls that Russia deepened a military alliance with North Korea and Iran in three yearswhich poses a growing threat to global security and stability.
“We need peace through force and not through appeasement”insisted the ministry, in reference to the “appeasement policy”a term referring to British attempts to avoid war with Nazi Germany by making concessions, in vain, to Adolf Hitler.
The American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, promised a response on Wednesday “farm” to the North Korean engagementand called on Europeans to do more to speed up aid to kyiv.
What about on the ground?
Ukraine has been retreating for several months on multiple sectors of the front facing a better armed and more numerous Russian army, and its territorial losses have accelerated since the beginning of autumn.
At the same time, the return to the presidency of the United States of Donald Trump, in January 2025, leaves Ukraine fearing that it will seek to force it to accept territorial concessionsoffering a military, political and diplomatic victory to Russia, fueling Putin's geopolitical ambitions.
Faced with Trump, an EU that commits
Donald Trump has already expressed reservations about maintaining continued military support for kyiv, which worries European leaders.
In response to this uncertainty, several European countries have declared their willingness to assume more responsibilities to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian threat.
Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, for example, stated that the main countries of the European Union are ready to strengthen military and financial support for Ukraine if the United States reduces its commitment.
The international community is watching these developments with anxiety, aware that each decision could have lasting consequences for security in Europe and beyond.
In Rio, Macron says he “shares” with Xi “the desire for lasting peace” in Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday “share” with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “the desire for lasting peace” whoever “respectful” of the United Nations Charter in Ukraine.
At the start of a meeting between the two heads of state on the sidelines of the G20 in Rio de JaneiroXi Jinping noted that the international situation had recorded “several new changes over the last six months”and that “several risks and challenges” had “continued to grow”.
“Future developments could be more uncertain and unpredictable” again, he warned, according to comments reported by Chinese state media.
Facing him, Emmanuel Macron insisted on the “community of views” between France and China in front of a world “made of instabilities, tensions, growing wars”.
“We find ourselves on the 1,000th day of the war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine and I know that you share like us the desire for a lasting peace, respectful of the Charter of the United Nations, and that you share like us the same concern after Russia's bellicose and escalatory declarations in matters of nuclear doctrine”insisted the French president.
“In the same way, we have, last May”during Xi Jinping's state visit to France, “both called for a ceasefire in Gaza, this must now extend to South Lebanon”he added.
Xi Jinping assured that Franco-Chinese relations had a “unique strategic importance”. “I intend to work with you to deepen strategic communication, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly respond to these changes and challenges”added the Chinese president
