LIVE | President of Ukraine warns that Russian troops will try to take Kiev tonight and calls for combat

the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, affirmed that the invading Russian army is preparing a final offensive to take Kiev, the capital, during the early hours of this Saturday. “We cannot lose the capital. I speak to our defenders, men and women on all fronts: tonight, the enemy is going to use all of his might to break through our defenses in the most vile, harsh, and inhuman way. Tonight, they are going to try an attack,” Zelensky said in a video posted on the presidential website.

“Today has been a difficult day but with courage. We have fought for our state on all fronts, in the south, east, north and in many cities of our beautiful country.” he added.

The advance of the Russian forces in Ukraine ran into strong resistance on Friday in the capital, Kyivwhere the president Zelensky defied calls from his Russian peer Vladimir Putin to overthrow him.

Putin called on the Ukrainian army to seize power on the second day of the invasion, which has caused more than 50,000 Ukrainians to flee the country, as well as 100,000 internally displaced persons (according to the UN), and more than 100 dead (according to Kiev). .

In a television intervention, the Russian president described the Zelensky government as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis” and stated, addressing the Ukrainian military: “Take power into your hands. It seems to me that it will be easier to negotiate between you and me.”

Zelensky he responded by posting a video in front of the presidential palace.

“We are all here, our military are here, the citizens, society, we are all here, defending our independence, our State”he proclaimed, together with some of his main collaborators.

Zelensky praised the “heroism” of the population before the advance of Russia towards the capital.

The boss of the NATOJens Stoltenberg also praised the Ukrainian forces, “that they are fighting bravely and remain capable of inflicting losses on the invading Russian forces.”

A senior US defense official (who preferred to remain anonymous) said that the Russian offensive was running out of steam, especially in Kyivdue to the resistance of the Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry claimed that its troops had killed 2,800 Russian soldiers, but without providing evidence. Moscow has so far not released any reports of casualties.

Zelensky indicated that he spoke with his American counterpart Joe Biden about the “strengthening of sanctions”. [contra Rusia]of concrete defense assistance and of an anti-aircraft coalition”, and expressed his “appreciation” for the “strong” US support.

The NATO it will activate its defense plans “to prevent excesses against Alliance territories,” Stoltenberg said.

This is the Response Force, a body made up of 40,000 soldiers and whose spearhead, the Very High Availability Joint Force (VJTF), has 8,000 members.

bodies in the streets

At dawn on Friday, shots and explosions were heard in the residential neighborhood of Oblon, in the north of Kyivprovoked by what appeared to be an advance of Russian forces.

AFP journalists they saw a dead man on the sidewalk and ambulances helping a person whose vehicle was crushed by an armored vehicle.

During the day, the sirens and explosions did not stop sounding in Kiev, a city that, after the flight of many inhabitants, offers a ghostly aspect.

Armored vehicles and soldiers guard street crossings around the district where the government buildings are located.

Ukrainian forces reported Friday that they were fighting Russian units in Dymer and Ivankiv, two towns 40 and 80 kilometers north of Kyiv. The Russians would also be advancing in the northeast and east, according to the same source.

The Ministry of Defense called on the population to resist.

“We ask citizens to inform us of troop movements, make Molotov cocktails and neutralize the enemy,” he said.

Putin is ready to send a delegation to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, a country allied with Russia, to conduct negotiations with Ukraine, his spokesman said.

The spokesman for US diplomacy, Ned Price. He called that proposal “diplomacy carried out at gunpoint, when bombs, mortar fire and artillery from Moscow are aimed at” Ukrainian civilians.

Sanctions in all areas

Russia demands that Ukraine abandon its ambition to join the NATO and asks the Atlantic Alliance to reduce its presence in Eastern Europe.

After the offensive, the European Union (EU) on Thursday unblocked a package of “massive” sanctions in the energy and financial sectors.

Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were included this Friday in the list of personalities sanctioned, with their assets frozen, by the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. The United States announced that it would take similar measures.

Zelensky He asked Westerners to expel Russia from the SWIFT bank transfer system, but European Union countries such as Germany and Hungary have expressed their doubts for fear that this measure will cause problems in the delivery of Russian gas.

The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zajarova, said that the sanctions against Putin and Lavrov demonstrate “the impotence” of the Westerners.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rejected Russia’s accession process and closed its office in Moscow.

The response to the invasion was also felt in sports and the world of culture. UEFA withdrew from St. Petersburg the organization of the Champions League final on May 28, which will be played in Paris.

In addition, Formula One canceled the celebration of the Russian Grand Prix, which was part of the 2022 calendar of the category.

And Eurovisión indicated that it was closing the doors of the popular European song contest to representatives of the invading country.

Pope Francis met with the Russian ambassador to the Vatican to express “his concern.”

In a tweet, sent in several languages, including Russian, he stated that “every war is a shameful surrender.”

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