NU.nl regularly gives you an overview of the situation in Ukraine. With this time: the fighting around Bakhmut is getting heavier, while the Ukrainian army sees bright spots in the battle for the city of Mariupol taken by the Russians.
The military situation is becoming increasingly difficult around Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine. The city is currently the major center of gravity of the Russian army. Bakhmut is important to the new Russian advance, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a video address on Monday.
In the Bakhmut region, according to Zelensky, the situation is becoming increasingly oppressive. The toughest battles take place here. “The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions. This makes it difficult to keep fortifying and defending.” The president praised the soldiers protecting the area. “They are real heroes”.
In the city, the Russians receive support from the Wagner Group. That is a group of trained mercenaries who help the Russians in the fight against Ukraine.
The battle is tough for both sides. Due to pouring rain, ground is slushy. This makes it less easy for the troops to move.
Ukraine says success in Mariupol
Where the battle is heavy and bloody, the Ukrainian army claims success in Mariupol. The port city is occupied by the Russian army. Several targets have already been hit, such as ammunition depots and the airport. At least fifty Russian soldiers are also said to have been killed.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, there were at least 14 explosions last week. The attacks on Mariupol hinder the supply of weapons to the Russian troops. Russia has not confirmed the attacks.
Yet more weapons are still needed. Zelensky again called for anti-aircraft talks during the speech. “We can only defend Ukraine if the ‘aviation taboo’ comes to an end,” he said.
“Our pilots, anti-aircraft units and other experts in our Air Force are doing a great job,” he said. “But we can only fully protect our airspace if we can discuss the possibilities for more anti-aircraft capabilities from our partners.”
2:23Europe wants to bring back Ukrainian children
The European Commission, together with Poland, wants to track down the Ukrainian children who have been abducted to Russia. “We want to find the children and bring the people responsible for the kidnappings to justice,” the committee said.
Since the beginning of the war, thousands of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped and taken to Russia. According to the Ukrainian research platform Children of War estimates range from just under 14,000 children to more than 700,000.
Russia claims to take in orphans, but according to Ukraine, children who still have parents are also being deported and ‘adopted’ by Russians. The chaos of war makes it impossible to determine the exact number of children kidnapped. But that it will happen is certain, says the United Nations.
The European Commission and the Polish government want to “join forces to collect evidence”. It is not yet known how they intend to do that. But for tracing the children and bringing perpetrators to justice, they want to cooperate with UN refugee agency UNHCR, among others.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra drew attention to these “despicable crimes” last month.
US Treasury Secretary visited Kyiv
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday to reaffirm US support for Ukraine. During the meeting, she again mentioned that the United States will again provide financial aid.
“America will support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Yellen said. She praised Zelensky for “his leadership and determination in the face of Russia’s illegal war”.
Yellen supports the Ukrainian president’s plans to strengthen governance and tackle corruption. In her view, these actions are necessary to ensure that US aid is spent properly.
Zelensky is happy with the help. “The US has supported us since the beginning of the war. Not only with weapons, but also financially,” he reported on Telegram. He again stressed the importance of sanctions against Russia. Recently, the European Union adopted a new one sanction package On. This is the tenth time that the EU has announced sanctions against Russia.
Russia will not withdraw from nuclear weapons treaty
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia will not resume participation in the nuclear weapons treaty. According to him, Washington should first listen to Moscow’s point of view, but the US does not, according to Peskov.
In a Russian daily, Peskov also said that NATO “is no longer seen as our conditional adversary, but as an enemy”.
During the national speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, he announced that Russia is withdrawing from the last nuclear arms treaty with the US. He did that exactly one year after his country invaded Ukraine.
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