liveLIVE. War in Ukraine: between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers killed, according to the Pentagon

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5:25 p.m. – New telephone exchange between Macron and Zelensky

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke for 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday afternoon with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky about the latest developments in the military offensive led by the Russian army, the Elysee announced.

The two presidents “made a long point on all the humanitarian subjects, on the initiative on the safety and security of nuclear power plants and, finally, an update on the discussions in progress in Gomel”, in Belarus, between Russians and Ukrainians, said the presidency. Mr. Macron was to receive at the end of the afternoon the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, currently on tour in Europe.

5:15 p.m. – Faced with energy inflation, a French factory forced to “go to sleep”

La Jurassienne de Céramique Française (ex-Jacob Delafon), manufacturer of high-end sanitary ware, announced on Tuesday the “put to sleep” of its factory in Damparis (Jura) due to the rise in gas prices caused by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. The company, owned by the Kramer group and which currently has 54 employees, is linked to its gas supplier by “a precarious contract” based on “a real day-to-day price”, particularly sensitive to market variations, explains. -he. “Since the invasion of Ukraine, the new gas price, which continues to rise, leads us to a certain expenditure of more than 4 million euros” this year, for an initial forecast of expenditure of 400,000 euros , underlines the president of the company.
The “putting to sleep” of the company, “in agreement with our partner customers”, aims to “preserve employment and cash flow” without however “throwing in the towel”, according to Mr. Rodriguez, the president of the company. . The latter indicates that he “despite everything validated the trial periods of employees already in office”.

5:08 p.m. – Zelensky claims to have “tempered” his application for NATO membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he no longer wants to insist on Ukraine joining NATO, one of the issues that officially motivated the Russian invasion of his country, in an interview broadcast by the American channel ABC. Another apparent openness towards Moscow, he says he is ready for a “compromise” on the status of the separatist territories in eastern Ukraine, whose independence Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally recognized just before launching his war. end of February.

“As for NATO, I tempered my position on this issue quite some time ago, when we understood (that) NATO was not ready to accept Ukraine,” he said. he said in this interview broadcast on Monday evening. “The Alliance is afraid of anything controversial, and of a confrontation with Russia,” he said. He added that he does not want to be the president of a “country that begs on its knees” for such a membership.

5:00 p.m. – Between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers killed, says the Pentagon

A senior Pentagon official estimated on Tuesday that between “2,000 to 4,000” Russian soldiers had died in Ukraine since the start of the invasion. Speaking before a congressional committee, Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, said that this rough estimate should be taken with caution.

4:42 p.m. – Also in Russia, large American companies face boycott threats

From Apple to Levi’s jeans, many American multinationals have decided to suspend their activities in Russia. But a few companies still choose to stay in the country despite the risks to their reputation. On social networks appeared the keywords #BoycottMcDonalds or #BoycottPepsi.

The head of the New York State pension fund sent letters to the bosses of these multinationals as well as to the manufacturer of biscuits Mondelez, the cosmetics groups Estée Lauder and Coty or even the brokerage house Bunge. These companies “must ask themselves if doing business in Russia is worth the risk in this extraordinarily volatile period”, he justifies.

4:15 p.m. – Faced with soaring energy prices, Marine Le Pen proposes the abolition of the TICPE

Marine Le Pen, presidential candidate, wished on Tuesday to go “further” in favor of the purchasing power of the French and proposed to “remove the increases” of a fuel tax, the TICPE (domestic consumption tax on energy products) decided between 2015 and 2018. “Given the current situation of fuel prices which are soaring” due to the conflict in Ukraine, “we must go further” than the reduction in VAT, estimated on RMC the candidate of the National Rally, which already proposes to reduce from 20% to 5.5% the VAT on electricity, gas and fuels.

“I propose to remove the increases which were decided by Emmanuel Macron” as Minister of the Economy in 2015 and 2016, or president, in 2017 and 2018, of the TICPE, detailed Marine Le Pen, who made purchasing power a major focus of his campaign.

4:11 p.m. – Who are Putin’s oligarchs?

Jean-Robert Raviot, professor of contemporary Russian civilization at the University of Paris-Nanterre, who directed the book Russia: towards a new cold war? (La Documentation française, 2016), retraces for Point the history of the oligarchs and their influence on the Kremlin. Or how a handful of men who made their fortune in the 1990s thanks to energy and raw materials have, for some, played a leading political role abroad.

Read our interview: Who are Putin’s oligarchs?

3:41 p.m. – Boosted by the US embargo, oil continues to climb

Brent oil, Europe’s crude benchmark, climbed more than 5% on Tuesday as US President Joe Biden prepares to announce an embargo on Russian oil in the United States, according to news reports. The prospect that the world’s largest consumer of black gold – the United States – will have to do without Russian extractions due to the conflict in Ukraine pushed the price of Brent to 129.92 dollars (+ 5.45%) around 2:30 p.m. GMT (3:30 p.m. in Paris).

Germany on Tuesday called on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to increase its crude production to mitigate the surge in the price of a barrel in connection with the war in Ukraine. The Minister of Economy, Robert Habeck, launched to the powerful exporting countries, led by Saudi Arabia, an “urgent appeal to increase the level of production to relieve the market”.

3:39 p.m. – At great expense, Israel maintains flights to Moscow

Israel is expected to extend on Tuesday its policy of standing surety for national airlines that continue to operate flights to Russia, despite Western sanctions imposed on the Russian airline industry following the invasion of Ukraine. Due to the sanctions, the insurances of air carriers operating to Russia are currently no longer valid. To continue to make their connections, the companies must benefit from the guarantee of a State.

Last week, the Jewish state, which adopted a cautious position by emphasizing the solid ties that unite it both to Moscow and to Kiev, decided to grant two billion dollars (1.8 billion euros ) as a surety to its airlines.