Live – War in Ukraine: Finland officially applies to join NATO

Finland has decided to apply for NATO membership, announced on Sunday by the Nordic president and prime minister as a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This is a historic day. A new era is dawning,” Finnish President Sauli Ninisto told a news conference.

NATO member states Finland and Sweden are on the “right track” to find consensus, the head of Croatian diplomacy ruled on Sunday, promising that their access to Berlin could intervene “very quickly”. A rapprochement pushed Russia first to cut off power.

“I think this discussion is on the right track (…). Foreign Affairs of the Atlantic Alliance in Berlin.

Turkey’s last – minute opposition to the integration of the two Nordic countries, which is part of the alliance, is causing uncertainty in the outcome of the process. “I hope our existing allies will look at the members of this coalition with a constructive and positive outlook,” said Mirza Giona, NATO’s deputy secretary general, adding that she was confident of the possibility of reaching a consensus. .

German Foreign Minister Annalena Barbach assured the two members that things could happen “very quickly”. Under the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, the two Scandinavian countries have been on the side of military non-alignment for decades.

Despite the chaos, the public continues to be evicted from Mariupol.

While our special envoys were in Japorizia yesterday, a new convoy of refugees was received from the martyred city.

Tributes are pouring in after Ukraine’s political victory over Eurovision.

After the Volodymyr Zelensky celebration, NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana on Sunday showed the “massive popular support” for the victory of the Ukrainian band Kalush on Saturday evening in Turin (Italy) over the eurovision, with Ukraine being attacked by Russia.

If the Russian war effort in Donbass marks the time, Ukrainian authorities expect even more double attacks. “We are preparing for major attacks around the Severodonetsk and Lysytchansk-Bakhmut axis,” Serguiï Gaïdaï, Ukrainian governor of the Lukansk region, described the increasingly humanitarian situation.

“The Lukansk area is constantly on fire … with no gas, water or electricity at all,” he added.

Our special correspondents at the scene were able to film the gruesome scenes in Kharkiv, which had been captured since Friday by the Russians.

Following the liberation of this large city in the east of the country, people wanted to find their homes, but often observations of destruction had to be drawn.

The Ukrainian president quickly praised his country’s success on Eurovision on Saturday night with a message posted on his Facebook page. In connection with the Russian invasion, he wrote: “Our courage attracts the world, our music conquered Europe”.

Ukrainian band Kalush Band, its song Stefania Mixing hip-hop and classical music, Britain scored 631 points more than Sam Ryder and his title. Space man (466 points) and the Spanish Singer Channel Slow-mo (459 points), during an evening organized in Turin, Italy.

The head of state of Ukraine also expressed his desire to hold a song contest in the future, according to the tradition of the competition, the winner of the previous edition wants to organize the next.

“The situation in the Donbass is very difficult. Russian troops are trying to achieve at least one victory there,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on Saturday, although “little, we are forcing the occupiers to leave our lands.”

Moreover, according to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), “Ukraine and its Western allies have only a small chance of supporting counter-attacks in Russian-occupied territories.”

The agency said Vladimir Putin “wants to annex southern and eastern Ukraine to the Russian Federation in the coming months.”