France hosts the Ukraine summit on Monday
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting more than 20 heads of state and government representatives at a meeting on Ukraine in Paris on Monday.
The Elysee Palace said in a statement on Monday: “Two years after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, the participants will once again confirm their unity and determination to defeat the aggressive war led by Russia in Ukraine.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Polish President Andrzej Duda will be among the officials who will attend the conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will deliver a speech at the conference via video link.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky react after signing an agreement on February 16, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France.
pool | Via Reuters
He added, “This conference will be an opportunity to exchange observations about the situation on the ground, the deep destabilization caused by Russia and its renewed aggression against Ukraine and Europe.”
The President's Office said the meeting represents an opportunity to study ways to respond more quickly and efficiently to the needs of Ukraine and its people.
France 24 news channel quoted an unnamed French presidential official as saying that the meeting was intended to contradict any “impression that things are falling apart” after the recent challenges faced by Ukraine on the battlefield.
Macron commented on Friday, on the eve of the second anniversary of the war, saying that Ukraine was “battered and bruised, but it is still standing.”
“Ukraine is fighting for itself, for its ideals and for Europe. Our commitment to its side will not waver,” Macron wrote on the X website, formerly known as Twitter.
– Holly Eliatt
China opposes US sanctions on Chinese companies for reasons related to Russia
A view of the central business district skyline at sunset in Beijing, China.
Sheng Ping | China Optical Group | Getty Images
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Monday that China strongly opposes the United States imposing sanctions on Chinese companies for reasons related to Russia.
The ministry said in a statement on its website that China will take necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.
On Friday, the Biden administration announced new trade restrictions on 93 entities from Russia, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, India and South Korea to support Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.
The measure, which came a day before the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, bans US shipments to targeted entities, including eight from China, 63 from Russia, 16 from Turkey, and four from the United Arab Emirates.
– Reuters
Zelensky says Russia is preparing a new attack against Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Russia is preparing for a new attack against Ukraine that may begin in late May or the summer, denying that his country is at the weakest point in the war.
Zelensky told reporters in Kiev: “We will prepare for their attack. I believe that their attack, which began on October 8, did not yield any results. For our part, we will prepare our plan and follow it.”
He denied that Ukraine was at the weakest point in the war, instead telling NBC that this was the toughest time for unity.
“I don't think this is the weakest moment now,” he said. “The weakest, or rather, [the most] The shocking moment was on February 24, two years ago. Now is the most difficult moment for our unity. If we are all divided, externally with partners, and, God forbid, internally, it will be the weakest moment. “It hasn't happened yet,” Zelensky told NBC's Richard Engel in a news conference on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference at the Ukraine Forum 2024 on February 25, 2024 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Paula Bronstein. | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Zelensky said that the events in the Middle East distracted attention from Ukraine, noting that this coincided with the end of the counterattack launched by Ukraine in the summer and Russia's start of offensive operations.
“Now we only see the consequences, when the amount of weapons weakens us. Otherwise we would not notice it… The aid package has weakened – we have weakened on the battlefield, in those directions that I mentioned,” Zelensky said.
He said the first year of the war was about survival, the second year was about resilience, and as Russia and Ukraine enter their third year of war, the country faces challenges in the form of elections, war and financing stress.
– Holly Eliatt
Zelensky says that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the Russian invasion two years ago.
“31,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in this war,” Zelensky said at a press conference. “Not 300,000 or 150,000, or whatever Putin and his lying circle say. But each of these losses is a big loss for us.”
Ukrainian soldiers lower the coffin of a Ukrainian army officer into a grave at a cemetery in the Carpathian Mountains in the village of Krasnyk, Ukraine, on Friday, December 29, 2023.
Evgeny Maloletka | AP Photos
He added that he could not reveal the number of wounded because that would help Russian military planning.
This is the first time Ukraine has published an official death toll since late 2022. The real number is likely much higher, as US officials estimated last August that at least 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died and as many as 120,000 had been wounded. .
Russia is also silent about military losses, although both sides claim to have inflicted tens of thousands of casualties on the other's forces. Zelensky claimed on Sunday that 180,000 Russian soldiers were killed during the war. CNBC was unable to verify these allegations.
– Holly Eliatt
