Things to remember from Monday 4th July

President Vladimir Putin ordered the offensive from Donetsk on Monday, July 4, following the capture of Lisitsansk, which cemented Russia’s control over Luhansk, one of the two regions of the Donbass in eastern Ukraine.

Although the outcome of the war still seems distant, an international conference that opened in Switzerland on Monday will be largely devoted to the efforts needed to rebuild Ukraine. Franceinfo covers the situation in Ukraine on the 131st day of the war.

A new platform in the east

In the Donbass basin, already partially occupied by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, the Ukrainian army announced its withdrawal from Lisitsansk, eight days after evacuating the twin city of Severodonetsk. The Russian head of state ordered his troops “Do their work” in use “Plans have already been approved”.

Lysychansk was “Luhansk Region’s Last Significant Population Center Still Under Ukrainian Control”Underlines the British Ministry of Defence. “Russia’s attention will now surely turn to the Donetsk region”Much of it is under Kyiv control.

The Russian army now seems to be concentrating its efforts on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk regions. The regional governor, Pavlo Kirilenko, announced that ten people, including two children, had died in and around Sloviansk on Monday.

“Marshall Plan” for Ukraine

At the beginning of the conference in Lugano (Switzerland), Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chymikal calculated. “750 billion dollars” The cost of Ukraine’s future reconstruction, he suggests, should come primarily from the frozen assets of Russian oligarchs, which he estimates at $300 to $500 billion.

By video conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky described the reconstruction “The common mission of the whole democratic world” And “A most important contribution to world peace”.

Dionysius Chmygal met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, whose country currently holds the European Union (EU) presidency, and his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, to outline a “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine.

The conference was planned before the war to draw up the contours of the future reconstruction of the country, which was invaded on February 24 on the orders of Vladimir Putin, and initially focused on reforms in Ukraine and especially the struggle against the local population. Corruption.

Moscow threatens to go after the entire EU after expelling diplomats

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned on Monday that Moscow could follow suit by the entire European Union in response to Bulgaria’s expulsion of 70 members of the Russian diplomatic corps.

“Sofia’s political decision to unfairly reduce our diplomatic staff in Bulgaria will certainly not go unanswered bilaterally.” Maria Zakharova said in a statement of Russian diplomacy.

Hope to be kicked out by Bulgaria “Beyond diplomatic practice”He emphasized Sofia and the European Union “Reflect the principle of reciprocity underlying diplomatic relations”.

European Diplomacy “It must be understood that ill-considered support for anti-Russian measures by individual member states imposes responsibility on the entire EU for their consequences.She added.