Headlines: Threat of Russian intervention in Ukraine and dwindling hopes of a summit with the United States
Audio 04:59
Ukrainian soldiers on exercise Friday, February 18, 2022 as tension is at its height between Ukraine and Russia.
© UKRAINIAN AIR ASSAULT FORCES/REUTERS
By: Anne Cantener Follow
4 mins
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Before this still very uncertain meeting,
The Guardian
calls not on Vladimir Putin, but on the American and British leaders, who are preparing to supply arms to Ukraine.
The newspaper warns of the consequences of a proxy war with Russia and of Moscow's likely response by means that the daily describes as "
equally unpleasant, asymmetrical and hybrid
".
The Guardian
concludes: “
If Johnson and Biden are serious about making a difference – and ensuring that Putin steps down – they should take the risk themselves, offering the Ukrainian government full NATO membership as long as the country still have one.
For its part, the
New York Times
wonders.
Not really on the intentions of the Russian president, but rather on the method he chose to invade Ukraine.
“
A massive nationwide attack, a series of bites that will dismantle the country, piece by piece, or a python-like squeeze
,
”
the newspaper wonders.
The American daily says that intelligence services do not yet know which of these options will be favored, but the
New York Times
already warns that a "
more gradual approach would give the Russian leader more opportunities to exploit the cracks just under the surface of the Western alliance arrayed against him.
He could, for example, try to see if Germany or Italy, the two Western European countries most dependent on gas supplied by Russia, could weaken in their resolve.
There is little doubt for the
New York Times
, especially since in recent days war has resumed in eastern Ukraine between government forces and separatists supported by Russia.
Apartments deserted, civilians evacuated
The special envoy of the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
went to the front, which is modestly called the line of contact.
He tells of taped windows and deserted apartments.
The sound of gunfire too, and this scene after the rumble and crash: “
Two little boys are sprinting towards their block of dwellings.
The colonel
[who accompanies the journalists]
becomes nervous and shouts: “
Russkij Mir salutes you.
Everyone on the buses, now!
”
”
"
Russkij mir
”, this was the formula used by certain ideologues to designate their program of Russian linguistic and cultural space, but as the reporter of the German newspaper says, we no longer hear much about this concept.
“
Today, 'Russkij Mir' speaks the language of artillery.
»
Since the fighting intensified, the separatist authorities of Donetsk evacuated some of the inhabitants.
The Russian newspaper
Kommersant
went to meet them.
The newspaper's special correspondent describes the road along the Sea of Azov, on the Russian side, the car parks crowded with cars, watched by police in bulletproof vests.
At the entrance to the Sputnik children's camp, a sign: “
Sorry, there is no more room.
“All the rooms are occupied by children and their mothers.
At the time of their registration, the refugees receive the equivalent of a hundred euros per person, so on the spot, we thank Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.
The revelations of an investigation carried out by an international media consortium on the bank Credit Suisse
Also on the front page, this major investigation into the Crédit Suisse bank conducted by a consortium of international media.
Thanks to a leak transmitted to the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
, the journalists were able to show how the bank hosted more than 95 billion euros in funds of dubious or even outright criminal origin.
The German newspaper speaks of a treasure trove of data, which it has shared with dozens of other media... But no Swiss newspaper.
However, the newspaper
Le Temps
reveals that some have indeed been approached by the consortium.
All declined because of a 2015 law that prohibits journalists from using leaked bank data, even if it is in the public interest.
The editor-in-chief of the
Guardian
is indignant: “
It would be shameful if the restrictive Swiss laws were used against journalists who do essential reporting in the public interest.
»
Measures against Covid-19: from “total war” to relaxation
The Covid is also making headlines on all continents this Monday.
The Chinese press is alarmed by the situation in Hong Kong.
The island is in "
all-out war mode
", according to the
South China Morning Post
.
The authorities ask residents to stay at home as much as possible and impose a vaccination pass in public places.
The vaccine, neglected in Brazil: the newspaper
O Globo
reveals that nearly 33 million people are late for their booster dose.
In question: a feeling of security, but also the lack of amenities to receive the vaccine and the dissemination of false news.
Finally in the United Kingdom, the relaxation is assumed.
Ahead of most restrictions being lifted this afternoon, the tone is set in The
Times
by the Trade Secretary: “
We don't want people to live under government dictate any longer than necessary.
So no more mandatory measures, and if companies want to impose tests on their employees, then it will be up to them to pay.
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