Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Saturday, September 28, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict.
The USA believes that Beijing’s speech on peace in Ukraine “does not hold water”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that China’s rhetoric on the issue of peace in Ukraine “didn’t hold up”after discussing Washington’s concern about Beijing’s support for Moscow’s defense industrial base during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
Antony Blinken told a news conference after his meeting with Wang Yi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that about 70% of machine tools and 90% of microelectronic components imported by Russia came from China and Hong Kong.
The head of American diplomacy estimated that this amounted to materially helping Moscow to produce the missiles, rockets, armored vehicles and munitions it needs to continue its war.
“So when Beijing says it wants peace and an end to the conflict while allowing its companies to make decisions that help (Russian President Vladimir) Putin continue his aggression, that doesn’t hold water.”he said.
China and Brazil presented a plan to end the war in Ukraine, which includes holding an international peace conference “at a convenient time recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties as well as fair discussion of all peace plans.”
The Ukrainian president rejected this initiative, believing that it gave Vladimir Putin the political room to maneuver necessary to continue the war.
Nine dead after Russian attacks on medical center in Sumy
Russian forces attacked a medical center in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, on Saturday morning, then struck again while the building was being evacuated, killing a total of nine people including a nurse , Ukrainian officials said.
Authorities said that at the time of the attacks, 86 patients and 38 staff members were in the hospital.
“The first attack killed one person and damaged the ceilings of several floors of the hospital”declared Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko on Telegram messaging. As people were being evacuated, the Russians struck again, killing five more people, he added.
Ukrainian emergency services later said nine people were killed and twenty injured in total.
“Everyone in the world who talks about this war should pay attention to where Russia strikes. It is attacking hospitals, civilian property and people’s lives.”Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said on Telegram. “Only force can force Russia into peace. Peace by force is the only right way”he added.
Ihor Klimenko did not specify what weapons were used in Saturday’s attacks, but the regional administration and air force said the strikes were carried out by drones.
Ukraine’s air force said earlier Saturday it had shot down 69 of 73 drones in a nighttime Russian attack that included two ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles.
Around 15 Russian attack drones were destroyed by air defenses in the capital Kyiv and its outskirts, Ukraine’s military administration said.
The governor of the Kharkiv region, also in northeastern Ukraine, announced that a Russian airstrike had killed three people and injured at least three in the village of Statyne. Reuters was not immediately able to verify details of the attack.
The head of Russian diplomacy warns Europe against any “suicidal adventure” with Ukraine
The head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov on Saturday once again warned European states against any confrontation with Moscow if they continue their “suicidal adventure” alongside Ukraine.
Speaking from the podium of the UN General Assembly in place of President Vladimir Putin who has not visited New York for years, Mr. Lavrov also warned against the possible entry of Ukraine “within NATO”.
The West “hopes to defeat Russia using the neo-Nazi and illegitimate regime in kyiv, but it is already preparing Europe to embark on a suicidal adventure”threatened the head of Russian diplomacy.
As Mr. Putin regularly does, Minister Lavrov mentioned “the insane and dangerous idea of fighting to victory against a nuclear power.”
Preceding him on Saturday at the podium, his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi spoke out against a “expansion” of the conflict in Ukraine and called on all parties to avoid “provocations”.
On Friday, in a joint declaration, China, Brazil and a dozen other countries of the South urged “refrain from the use and threat (of use) of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear and chemical weapons”.
