The G7 promises that the “cost of war” for Russia will rise…

Half of the western weapons promised to Ukraine are being delivered late, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umarev said on Sunday. “Currently, commitment is not synonymous with delivery, 50% (of) commitments are not delivered on time,” the minister declared during a forum dedicated to the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said on Sunday that he would run for his own succession next year, an announcement made on the day of a legislative election described as a fraudulent election by the bloodless opposition after years of exile and repression. After his much-maligned re-election in 2020, the Belarusian leader cracked down on unprecedented protests, jailing hundreds and forcing thousands into exile.

“Tell them all I’m going to run” in 2025, the man in charge of the country since 1994 said after the vote, according to a Telegram channel run by his team. No opposition could participate in Sunday’s assembly elections. Its exile leaders called on the population to boycott the polls.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday called on the West to be “bold” on redistributing frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, and initially urged that interests in these assets be sent to Kiev. “We must be bold in seizing hundreds of billions in frozen Russian assets,” the British head of government wrote in a column published by the Sunday Times to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.

“What these assets generate starts by taking billions in interest and sending it to Ukraine,” argues Rishi Sunak. “And then, together with the G7, we need to find legal ways to seize assets and send these funds to Ukraine,” he added. “What a tribute to Alexei Navalny’s fight to hold the Russian state accountable for his actions,” he added, referring to the dissident who recently died in a prison in the Russian Arctic.

Sri Lanka, a popular destination for both camps since the start of the war, signaled this morning that it would no longer grant long-term visas to Ukrainians and Russians. Commissioner General of Immigration Harsh Elukpitiya has set March 7 as the final date for departure. “Flight conditions have now returned to normal and they have no difficulty returning home.”

According to official figures, over 288,000 Russians and nearly 20,000 Ukrainians have visited Sri Lanka in the past two years. There are no figures that count those staying longer than the normal 30-day tourist visa.

Thousands of people demonstrated in France on Saturday to show support for Kiev, two years after Moscow’s troops invaded Ukraine. In Paris and about ten other French cities, Ukrainians and French people, often draped in Ukraine’s yellow and blue flag, gathered to express their solidarity, but also their concern at a time when Kiev’s forces lacked weapons and ammunition. Faced with Russian troops in a very difficult position.

In the capital, several thousand people marched between the Places de la République and the Bastille, in majestic silence, sometimes chanting “Putin the killer!” broke through. » “Russia out of Ukraine!” Among the demonstrators were some anti-Russian activists from the Russia Liberties Association and elected officials, such as environmentalist senator Yannick Jadot.

In Marseille, a twin city with the major Ukrainian port of Odessa, 150 to 200 people gathered in front of city hall and observed a minute of silence.

The G7 vowed to “raise the cost of war” in Ukraine in Moscow on Saturday, following a virtual summit where Volodymyr Zelensky urged his allies to deliver “timely” military aid to their vulnerable country. The beginning of the third year war. Kiev’s allies also condemned the aid provided to Moscow by Tehran, Beijing and Pyongyang and pledged to “prosecute third party actors who materially support Russia’s war”.

Hello everyone. This Sunday, the editorial staff of 20 minutes Once again to give you all the information about the conflict is collected. This weekend marks a sad anniversary, synonymous with many victims. Two years ago, on February 24, 2022, on the orders of Vladimir Putin, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. At the time, the Kremlin master believed he could take Kiev within days before Ukrainian resistance forced a humiliating retreat. In 2023, on the other hand, it was Ukraine that suffered major disappointment from the failure of its major counter-offensive, so much so that the Russian military, with an economy geared towards the war effort, now finds itself in such a position. strength