UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – «If they cut (the aid), I think we will lose»declared Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky during an interview on Fox News, the conservatives' favorite American channel.
Volodymyr Zelensky warned this Tuesday against the risk of defeat against Moscow in the event of an end to American aid, judging the “survival” of Ukraine at stake at a time when the firing of American ATACM missiles on Russian territory raises fears of a new escalation. Le Figaro takes stock of the situation.
“It’s not enough to survive”
On the 1000th day of the war, Moscow promised a response “appropriate” after the attack carried out by Ukraine on its soil during the night from Monday to Tuesday and announced that the possibilities of using nuclear weapons were thus broadened, a rhetoric denounced by the West.
While on the ground Russian troops are advancing on several sectors of the front, kyiv and its European allies are worried about the consequences of the return to power on January 20 of Donald Trump, very skeptical of the billions that the administration of Current President Joe Biden has granted grants to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. “If they cut (the aid), I think we will lose”declared the Ukrainian leader during an interview on Fox News, the American channel preferred by conservatives. “Of course, in any case, we will stay, we will fight. We have our production. But it's not enough to win. And I think that's not enough to survive.”he added, emphasizing the importance of “unity” between Ukraine and the United States.
A senior American official told AFP that the United States would also provide Ukraine with «non-persistent antipersonnel mines » that is, equipped with a self-destruct or self-deactivation device to prevent them from posing a danger for generations after the end of the war, to strengthen its defenses against the Russian invasion.
US Embassy in kyiv warns of 'possible significant air attack'
The US Embassy in kyiv warned on Wednesday of “possible significant air attack”Wednesday, the day after Russia promised to respond to Ukraine's firing of long-range American missiles on its territory. The embassy “received specific information regarding a possible significant air attack on November 20”she indicates on her website.
“As a precautionary measure, the embassy will be closed and embassy employees are advised to shelter in place”specifies the text of the American representation which recommends to its nationals “to prepare to take shelter immediately in the event of an air alert announced”.
Arrest of German citizen accused of sabotage in Russia
A German citizen, accused of sabotage on energy infrastructure sites in Russia, was arrested in the Kaliningrad region (northwest), the Russian Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday cited by national news agencies. Nikolaï Gaïdouk, German citizen born in 1967, “is involved in the explosion in March 2024 at a gas distribution station” in Kaliningrad, the FSB said in the statement, claiming that he had returned to Russia from Poland, “to organize acts of sabotage on local energy infrastructures”.
A resident of Hamburg, he was arrested upon entering Russia, at a border checkpoint in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave at the gates of the EU, according to the same source. Half a liter of explosive liquid was seized during the inspection of his car at the Russian border, according to the FSB. According to local media, this explosive was hidden in a shampoo box. “It was established that Mr. Gaiduk had received the order to cause an explosion and the components of an improvised explosive device from the Ukrainian citizen” Alexandre Jorov, who also lives in Hamburg, provides the press release. An investigation for “attack” et “explosives trafficking” was opened against the German citizen, placed in pre-trial detention, he adds.
