Putin delivers state of the nation address – The night at a glance
Published: Thursday, Feb 29th 2024, 05:30
Retour au fil d'actualité
Russian President Vladimir Putin will give his state of the nation address this Thursday. Two years after the start of his war of aggression against Ukraine, he is also expected to comment on the situation in the conflict. Russian troops have recently made tactical gains in their invasion. Just over two weeks before the presidential election, the 71-year-old head of state wants to inform the Federal Assembly - the State Duma and the Federation Council - about his economic, social and foreign policy goals for the coming year in his speech.
It is considered certain that Putin will be confirmed in office for the fifth time in the presidential election scheduled for March 15 to 17. The opposition is not allowed to stand. His fiercest opponent to date, Alexei Navalny, will be laid to rest this Friday. The Kremlin critic died a few days ago in a prison camp in the Arctic Circle. Officially, the cause of death is unknown.
In his speech, which is broadcast on state television, the President traditionally focuses on the current situation in Russia, the economy and social policy. This will be Putin's 19th State of the Nation address. These groundbreaking speeches set the major political guidelines for Russian society.
Putin last gave the State of the Union address in February 2023, announcing the suspension of the New Start nuclear disarmament treaty. He had skipped the speech in the first year of the war.
Selensky secures support from the Balkans
At a summit of south-eastern European states in the Albanian capital Tirana, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi secured the public support of the participants for his peace initiative. "Russia's unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine remains the greatest threat to European security and international peace," said the declaration published on Wednesday. This was also supported by Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, who critics accuse of not opposing Russia's interests for political reasons.
The signatories also pledged to take part in a peace summit planned by the Ukrainian leadership in Switzerland in the spring. The implementation of a peace formula proposed by Zelenskyi as early as 2022 is to be discussed. This provides for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, reparations and trials against war criminals.
In addition to Vucic, the signatories included the presidents of Moldova, North Macedonia and Kosovo as well as the heads of government of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania.
Scholz promises: No German soldiers in Ukraine
Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for over two years with massive military and financial aid from the West. Germany is one of the most important supporters. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised the Bundeswehr and the German people that his no to the deployment of ground troops in Ukraine is an immovable red line. "To put it bluntly: as German Chancellor, I will not send any soldiers from our Bundeswehr to Ukraine," he said in a video message on Wednesday. NATO will not become a party to the war.
Following a meeting of around 20 heads of state and government in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the deployment of ground troops in Ukraine.
Two dead in Russian airstrike in eastern Ukraine
Two people were killed in a Russian airstrike in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday afternoon. According to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, the victims were a 48-year-old man and a six-year-old girl. The girl's mother was seriously injured in the Russian air force attack on a railroad station in the Kupjansk region. A woman was killed and three other people were injured in further Russian artillery attacks in the Bachmut region.
The Russian military has stepped up its attacks in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks. They are being supported by their air force.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military reported a successful counterattack in eastern Ukraine. An assault brigade had recaptured the village of Krasnohorivka, the military leadership in Kiev announced in the evening. The Russian troops suffered heavy losses in the process. The information provided by both warring parties can hardly be verified independently.
The daily situation report from the General Staff in Kiev stated that a total of 91 Russian airstrikes and 102 missile attacks had been registered during the course of the day. One of the focal points of Russian attacks was the area around the small town of Avdiivka in the east of the country, which Ukrainian troops had recently abandoned due to a lack of ammunition. The Ukrainian armed forces had destroyed several Russian artillery systems in counter-attacks, it was said. This information could not be independently verified either.
What will be important on Thursday
Kremlin leader Putin delivers his state of the nation address while fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continues in the frontline areas.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic