The Page collage
The Western media continues to cover the war in Ukraine: on April 20, media report how China is still building a "new world" with Russia, Ethiopia declares "fraternal support" for Moscow, and Russian tycoon Oleg Tinkov spoke out strongly against the war.
Meanwhile, the West is promising Ukraine more artillery and post-war security guarantees, the G20 finance ministers are boycotting their bloody Russian colleague at a meeting in Washington, and the President of the European Council has personally visited Borodyanka.
The Page offers an up-to-date review of what the European and American media are reporting on the 56th day of the active Russian invasion.
China is still building "new world" with Russia
Sky News reports that China has assured Russia that it will increase strategic coordination with it despite international volatility.
Chinese vice foreign minister Le Yucheng gave this assurance to Russian ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov, that once again highlights the strong relationship between the two nations.
Mr Yucheng also said a 30% increase in trade between the two countries earlier this year showed "great resilience".
"No matter how the international landscape may change, China will continue to strengthen strategic coordination with Russia for win-win cooperation, jointly safeguard the common interests of the two countries and promote the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind," the Chinese MFA’s statement reads.
The Page has already reported about how China and Russia decided to move together towards a "democratic world order."
Previously, we covered how Putin planned to seize Kyiv and overthrow the government in Ukraine in just two days and build a "new multi-vector world", bringing the Anglo-Saks to their knees.
Fraternal friendship between Moscowia and Ethiopia
The publication also reports that crowds of people have been seen lining up outside the Russian embassy in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa in a bid to show their "solidarity" with Russia.
The photos shared on social media, which appeared to show people stood outside the embassy building earlier this week, came amid reports people were being recruited to join the Russian forces.
In addition to social networks, the BBC reported about such queues, posting their photos.
BBC photos collage
"Dozens of young Ethiopian men continue to gather at the Russian embassy in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Tuesday following rumours of soldiers being recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine," the Facebook post reads.
However, the embassy has denied the allegation that Ethiopians are being recruited and said the long queue of people were expressing their "solidarity" with Russia.
"We regard it as an another manifestation of the unbreakable bonds of brotherly friendship and mutual support between the two peoples," the embassy said in a statement.
The embassy added:
"While reiterating our gratitude to all concerned citizens of Ethiopia, we would like to inform that the embassy does not accept any applications for recruitment in the armed forces of the Russian Federation."
Tinkov: 90% of Russians are against the war
Photo: Wikipedia
Reuters reports that Russian tycoon Oleg Tinkov has strongly condemned the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, calling it a "crazy war" that he says is not supported by 90% of his compatriots.
Tinkov, the founder of Russia’s Tinkoff Bank, also made a plea to the West to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin a pathway to withdraw and put an end to the bloodshed.
On his Instagram account Tuesday, he wrote:
"I do not see ANY beneficiary of this crazy war! Innocent people and soldiers are dying."
"Of course there are morons who draw Z, but 10% of any country are morons. 90% of Russians are AGAINST this war!" Tinkov wrote. Recall that the letter Z has become a symbol of support for the Russian military.
Tinkov is among the members of the Russian elite sanctioned by the West after the Russian assault on Ukraine. The subsequent economic slump led to a sharp decrease in the share price of his previously high-flying digital bank, wiping billions from his fortune, according to Forbes. At the same time, he denies having close connections to Putin.
Let us recall that Russian polls, on the contrary, show that the majority of Russians support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, more than half of the respondents in early April "felt proud of Russia." On the other hand, it is difficult to somehow confirm the relevance of polls in a totalitarian state.
More artillery from Western allies
Getty Images photos collage
Reuters reports that the leaders of the United States, Britain, and Canada have promised to send more artillery weapons to Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed this after a secure video call with Western leaders.
Biden is expected to announce in coming days another military aid package for Ukraine about the same size as the $800 million one announced last week. It would bring total U.S. military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded to well over $3 billion.
Johnson, for his part, stressed:
"This will become an artillery conflict, they need support with more artillery, that is what we will be giving them."
Others on the call included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as well as the leaders of Italy, Japan, and Poland.
Photo: Wikipedia
The allies discussed how to guarantee the security of Ukraine after the war. France assured that it was ready to become a guarantor of security.
These guarantees would look more like the defense clause the European Union currently has among its members, rather than a defense mechanism similar to NATO's Article 5, which triggers automatic military support if a member is attacked. That is, the countries will separately determine the amount of possible support.USA: NATO does not threaten Vladimir Putin
USA: NATO does not threaten Vladimir Putin
Photo: Getty Images
The Guardian cites the US interim ambassador to the UK, Philip T Reeker, as explaining how Russia's actions in Ukraine demonstrated the strength of the NATO alliance:
"Vladimir Putin thought that he would find a divided west, divided alliances, that he would be able to drive wedges. He was sorely mistaken."
On the support being offered to Ukraine, Reeker said:
"There’s been constant dialogue and consultation with the Ukrainian leadership on what they need. And I think what we’ve seen is this also remarkable effort by the Ukrainians."
He described Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy as an inspiration not only to his own people, which is most important, but also to many other leaders.
The ambassador clarified again US president Joe Biden’s decision that US troops would not engage directly in Ukraine, saying:
!We’re not going to war with Russia. We want to support Ukraine. We want to, of course, protect our allies who are under Nato."
Reeker stressed that NATO is a defensive alliance that does not threaten anyone, including Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation.
Boycott of Russian Minister in G20
Collage with Getty Images photo
The Guardian also reports that Western nations are preparing to stage coordinated walkouts and other diplomatic snubs in protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Washington.
Moscow confirmed on April 20 that Russia’s finance minister, Anton Siluanov, would lead its delegation at the talks despite repeated protestations by western diplomats.
The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, plans to avoid G20 sessions attended by Russian officials on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings. However, Yellen will attend an opening session on the Ukraine war regardless of Russian participation.
Photo: Getty Images
The UK finance minister, Rishi Sunak, also will not attend certain G20 sessions.
"During and after the meeting we will be certain to send a strong message and we will not be alone in doing so," a German government source said.
At the same time, a number of G20 members believe that Russia should not participate in such events at all, but, for example, China and Indonesia do not share this point of view, Reuters reports.
Belgium to help investigate Russians’ atrocities
Photo: Getty Images
CNN cites Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo as saying that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is "comparable to the darkest pages in our European history" and that it is "heart-breaking to see that something like this can still happen in Europe."
He added that both Belgium and the Netherlands are going to make efforts to ensure that everything is documented, in the hope that prosecutions can take place for the terrible stories we hear of rapes of women, rapes of girls.
It should be noted here that there were also reports of rape of underage boys, at least in the Kyiv region, and The Page sources reported that cases of rape in the Kherson region, where the invaders are preparing a referendum to establish the so-called KhPR, are not even officially documented. This means that evidence of abuse of civilians after the de-occupation of the territories will take a lot of time to be collected.
De Croo, for his part, said that the Belgian Government was supporting the International Criminal Court and the Commission of Inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council and was looking to be able to send forensic experts to Ukraine.
"It is the first step to ensure that the barbarians who did this will be prosecuted."
Charles Michel in Borodianka: "History will not forget it"
Photo: twitter.com/charlesmichel
The Washington Post reports that European Council President Charles Michel arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on April 20, calling it the "heart of a free and democratic Europe."
Photo: twitter.com/charlesmichel
He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he discussed further sanctions against Russia and criteria for joining the EU with.
Michel also visited the town of Borodianka, a town 30 miles northwest of Kyiv.
"History will not forget the war crimes that have been committed here," Michel tweeted as he compared the devastated area to that of Bucha, the images of which angered the world.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said earlier that the situation in Borodianka appeared significantly more dreadful than in Bucha.
Later in the afternoon of April 20, Charles Michel posted on Twitter a photo of hugging with Zelenskyy when meeting in Kyiv and wrote:
"Full Trust, confidence and admiration for president Zelenskyy. The fight of Ukraine will be victorious. You are not alone. We stand side by side with you."
Instead of an afterword. Obviously, China is still trying to straddle both worlds, building relations with a terrorist country, although it does not forget about its own interests. For example, economic experts believe that the problems with metallurgy in Russia can in no way be solved by Beijing, because it is a direct competitor of Moscowia in this area.
At the same time, rumors about the recruitment of Ethiopian citizens for the war against Ukraine and the country's assurances of "fraternal friendship with the Russian Federation" can hardly scare the civilized world.
Amid this, there is good news — the willingness of the West to supply Kyiv with more artillery, the boycott of meetings with the Russian finance minister at the G20 session, as well as the promise to impose further sanctions against the Kremlin and act as guarantors of Ukraine's security after the war.
Despite NATO assurances that the alliance does not threaten Russia, the United States is providing Ukraine with more and more substantial assistance, and this will give a chance for the de-occupation of territories in the East and South of the country.
Meanwhile, more and more leaders are visiting Kyiv and the de-occupied cities of the Kyiv region, strengthening the allies' resolve to investigate the horrific crimes against our citizens committed by the Russians. Ukraine continues to defend itself for 56 days.