What has happened in the last hours
On the 344th day of the war started by Russia against Ukraine, these are the key data at 12:00 this Thursday, February 2:
Von der Leyen arrives in kyiv to show the EU’s “firm support for Ukraine”. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has arrived in kyiv this Thursday accompanied by a large group of commissioners to hold talks with members of the Ukrainian government about the country’s accession to the EU. The appointment takes place on the eve of the great Ukraine-EU summit to be held in kyiv on Friday, when it is about to be a year since the start of the Russian invasion. “This is my fourth visit to kyiv,” Von der Leyen commented. “It was important to go now to underline that we support Ukraine for as long as it takes, as firmly as ever. We have a lot of joint work ahead of us. For example, in immediate support, in reconstruction, in the accession process, ”she added.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine, on the country’s entry into the EU: “I am convinced that we will achieve it in two years.” Ukraine sees it as feasible to be able to enter the European Union in two years, according to what its Prime Minister, Denis Shmihal, has stated to the weekly Der Spiegel, where he has ratified his commitment to “zero tolerance” towards corruption and has recalled the steps given in that direction. “I am convinced that we will achieve it in two years. Our ambition is that by the end of 2024 we are formally ready to become members [de la UE]. The decision is not up to us. But we are willing to do everything in our power ”, he has affirmed to said publication.
Putin visits Stalingrad for the 80th anniversary of his liberation. Russia celebrates this Thursday the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, the battle where the USSR ended the advance of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will preside over the events in the renowned city of Volgograd, where the authorities have renamed the city with the Soviet name for 24 hours despite the rejection of its own citizens.
The Ukrainian army notes that Russia is preparing offensives at various points. The Ukrainian military admits that Russian troops fighting in the east of the country are intensifying their activity in the Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts, which make up the Donbas mining region, and preparing an offensive, just as the first anniversary of the invasion approaches. , which began on February 24, 2022. According to the daily report of the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russians are trying to advance towards the cities of Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka, in the Donetsk province, and the Ukrainians repelled attacks in several towns in the Lugansk and Kharkiv oblasts, as well as in Zaporizhia and Kherson.
Zelenski removes customs chiefs for an alleged abuse of power. The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has announced in his traditional night speech the dismissal of the heads of the customs service for an alleged abuse of power. “Unfortunately, in some spheres the only way to guarantee legitimacy is to change the heads together with the implementation of institutional changes,” Zelenski said, adding that the change is “necessary to ensure that people do not abuse power.”
A Russian attack on Kramatorsk leaves three dead and 20 wounded. The death toll in the Russian missile attack that has hit an apartment building in the city of Kramatorsk (Donetsk) it has risen to three, local authorities reported late on Wednesday. In addition, another 22 people have been injured.
In the photograph, which is Viacheslav Madiyevsky for Reuters, two people, next to the Kramatorsk residential building destroyed by Russia on Wednesday.
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