BLOCKED EU LOAN
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022 has sparked the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II, forcing the displacement of millions and leaving hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides.
A Russian strike in eastern Ukraine on Friday killed three people on a bus near the embattled town of Kupiansk, which Moscow’s army is battling to recapture.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, which claims its forces do not target civilians.
Macron pledged to ensure the release of a vital 90-billion-euro (US$106-billion) EU loan to Ukraine.
“This commitment will be honoured,” Macron said, after EU member Hungary blocked the loan as well as a fresh round of sanctions on Russia.
Hungary and Slovakia have accused Kyiv of deliberately delaying reopening the Druzhba pipeline, which pumps Russian oil to the two landlocked states and Ukraine says was damaged by Russian strikes in January.
Brussels said Thursday it had proposed a mission to inspect the blocked oil pipeline, and was waiting for Kyiv to respond.
Macron earlier Friday announced the first death of a French soldier during the Middle East war in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, in what his commanding officer said was an Iranian drone attack.
He however added that France’s position in the Middle East war remained “purely defensive”.
Zelenskyy called it a “despicable attack” on military personnel in a post on X and urged Iran to put an end to attacks against its neighbouring countries.
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