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Vladimir Putin visits Beijing to meet Xi Jinping
Among the subjects discussed between the two leaders, the situation in Ukraine. Find our article
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Vladimir Putin: diplomatically isolated, Russia depends on economic support from China… The Russian president visits Xi Jinping to strengthen their ties
Military rearmament: Sweden will buy four frigates from France
Sweden will buy four defense and intervention frigates (FDI) from the French company Naval Group for several billion euros, as part of its rearmament effort undertaken since the start of the war in Ukraine et are accession to NATO in 2024.
This contract is a success for the French group after its setback last year in Norway, which chose British frigates.
The first Naval Group frigate will be delivered in 2030 then the other three will be delivered at the rate of one per year. France committed in August to the delivery of a first “fully equipped” frigate by 2030.
The average price of a frigate is “a little over 10 billion crowns (Swedish, 910 million euros)”, but the final price will depend on the equipment and armament, said Swedish Defense Minister PÃ¥l Jonson.
Measures to address soaring fertilizer prices
The European Union will also not return to the gradual increase in taxes on Russian and Belarusian fertilizers, which Brussels would definitely like to do without in order to deprive Moscow of resources which finance the war in Ukraine. Faced with Europe’s persistent dependence on imports, one of the major challenges is the development of alternative, low-carbon fertilizers. So far, this ambition has faced with production costs that are often very high, particularly due to the price of energy.
Ukrainian army strikes Russian oil refinery
Ukrainian soldiers struck a Lukoil Kstovo oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia on Monday and a pumping station on Tuesday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Facebook. A fire broke out on the refinery site. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, reports the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
Russian economy is running out of steam due to the war in Ukraine and international sanctions
After several years of resistance to international sanctions, Russian growth is now marking time. Between a slowdown in GDP, an increase in business closures and a weakening of domestic consumption, the country’s economy is showing increasingly visible signs of running out of steam. Click here to read our article.
How the war in Ukraine became the global laboratory for drone warfare
Facing Russia, Ukraine has transformed the military emergency into a technological accelerator. In four years of war, kyiv has become a world reference in the field of drones, to the point of inspiring Western armies and making this expertise an industrial, military and diplomatic lever. Click here to read our article.
Vladimir Putin’s alleged mistress accused of favoritism for European gymnastics championships
A few days before the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, organized in Varna, Bulgaria, from May 27 to 31, the Russian selection is making people cringe. Several gymnasts called under neutral banner are linked to Sky Grace, the academy of Alina Kabaeva, 2004 Olympic champion and alleged mistress of Vladimir Putin. Click here to read our article.
Four dead in Russian missile and drone strikes in Ukraine
At least four people were killed and more than twenty injured this Tuesday morning in a missile attack and another by Russian drones that hit the regions of Cherniguiv and Sumy in northern Ukraine, regional authorities announced. In Pryluky, a Russian ballistic missile struck “a local business” around 10 a.m., also damaging “a shopping center, a supermarket and fire vehicles”, according to the governor of the Cherniguiv region Vyacheslav Tchaous. Two people were killed and at least 17 people were injured. In the neighboring Sumy region, two men were killed and four people injured in a drone attack on Glukhiv.
Russia attacks gas facilities in Ukraine
The Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz indicates that Russia attacked its installations for the third day in a row, this time in the Cherniguiv region.
“More than half of Russians are ready to accept a ceasefire on any conditions”
On May 9, Vladimir Putin surprised everyone by maintaining that the conflict in Ukraine was “coming to an end” during a press conference, the day of the celebrations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. What do we think of this new position of the Russian president and does it really represent the Kremlin’s desire to “make peace”? Jean de Gliniasty, former diplomat and former French ambassador to Moscow, sheds his light in an interview.
Russia launched 209 drones on Ukraine overnight
The Ukrainian Air Force announced on Telegram that the Russians launched 209 drones on Ukraine during the night from Monday to Tuesday. 180 of the 209 aircraft were neutralized by the Ukrainian military. They targeted the north, south and east of Ukraine.
Russia announces three days of nuclear exercises
The Russian army begins three days of nuclear weapons exercises and training this Tuesday, mobilizing thousands of men in the country, the Russian Defense Ministry said. “From May 19 to 21, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are conducting an exercise to prepare and use their nuclear weapons in the event of a threat of aggression.” Russia suffered one of the most massive drone attacks from Ukraine on Saturday since the start of the conflict, in response to deadly Russian bombings on kyiv. Click here to read our article.
A gliding aerial bomb developed by Ukraine
Ukraine’s Defense Minister announced Monday that his country had completed testing of its first glide bomb. Developed in 17 months by Ukrainian engineers, it has a military load of 250 kg. A video shared by the Minister of Defense shows a test of the munition dropped from a Ukrainian Su-24. These bombs “will soon hit enemy targets,” Mykhailo Fedorov said. Click here to read our article.
Angela Merkel criticizes EU’s lack of diplomatic efforts with Russia
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls on the European Union to step up diplomatic efforts in the conflict with Russia to achieve peace. She said she “regretted” that Europe “does not use its diplomatic potential sufficiently” during an interview with public television channel WDR. However, she considered that it was “absolutely justified” to support Ukraine militarily and to produce a deterrent effect.
Vladimir Putin on two-day state visit to China
Vladimir Putin will begin his two-day state visit to China this Tuesday. He wants to seal a “strategic” partnership between Moscow and Beijing, said his diplomatic advisor. Around forty agreements must be signed between the two countries. On the agenda: the “Siberian Force 2” gas project, hydrocarbon partnerships and economic and commercial cooperation. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping must adopt a joint declaration on “the advent of a multipolar world and international relations of a new type”. If Vladimir Putin arrives in China a few days after Donald Trump, it is by chance, according to the diplomatic advisor, because the date had been set in February.
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Follow all the news from the war in Ukraine, this Tuesday, May 19, 2026, all day long live on ladepeche.fr.
