​Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Germany and France on Friday to try to secure vital military aid and sign bilateral security commitments as the war with Russia enters its third year. The trip comes as Kyiv troops try to stop Russian forces approaching the eastern city of Avdiyivka. Ukraine is facing troop and ammunition shortages, and US military aid has been delayed for months.

All information about the war in Ukraine – day 723 – LIVE on HotNews.ro:

07:40 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is traveling to Berlin and Paris on Friday to sign security deals aimed at guaranteeing his country long-term military and financial support as it struggles to fend off Russian aggression, AFP and Agerpres said.

In the morning, the Ukrainian leader will be received by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. A press conference will be held after the signing of the agreement, the spokesman of the German government said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi is then expected in Paris, where at the end of the day a similar partnership agreement will be signed in the Elysée Palace. After the meeting with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, a joint press conference and working dinner will be held.

Almost two years after the start of the Russian offensive, on February 24, 2022, “our decision (to support Ukraine) is there, it has not weakened and will not weaken,” the adviser to the French head of state emphasized.

“We are also determined to disrupt this bet that Russia is making,” which is “making a bet for a long time, on our fatigue,” he insisted.

Great Britain was the first to conclude such an agreement during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to Kyiv on January 12. The member states of the European Union have not yet taken this step.

01:10Zelensky assures that Kyiv is doing “everything possible” to save the troops from Avdiyivka

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in his daily message on Thursday evening that Kyiv is doing “everything possible” to save its troops who have suffered a disaster on the eastern front, in particular in the city of Avdiyivka, where the situation was called “critical”, reports AFP. .

“We are doing everything possible to ensure that our fighters have sufficient organizational and technological capabilities to save as many Ukrainian lives as possible,” Zelenskyy said, referring to a report by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi and the Minister of Defense. Rustem Umerov regarding “the situation at the front, in Avdiivka and in the east in general.”

00:54Poland announced the detention of a Ukrainian who worked for Russia. “He was preparing to set fire to some buildings”

A brief retelling of the last events of the war:

• The commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, has been fired after the Ukrainian military managed to sink another Russian warship this week, Russian military bloggers and a former Kremlin adviser said on Thursday, Reuters reported.
• The Ukrainian city of Avdiyivka is in danger of falling, the White House warns
• Zelensky assures that Kyiv is doing “everything possible” to save the troops from Avdiyivka
• The White House confirms that Russia is developing anti-satellite weapons, but that it is not an immediate threat
• Belgium’s prime minister calls for EU bonds to boost defense spending
• Ramstein Group: What are the principles of arming Ukraine? / Main target directions
• Ukraine and NATO will create an analytical center of Russian military tactics in Poland
• Erdogan says he is still trying to mediate between Kiev and Moscow

—————-

• Thursday’s most important information about Russia’s aggression was live on HotNews.ro