International press review
Headlines: Fear of escalation in Ukraine after 'humiliating' sinking of Moskva
Audio 05:11
The Russian cruiser Moskva, in the Bosphorus, in July 2021. REUTERS - YORUK ISIK
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 mins
Advertisement
Whether the "
flagship of the Russian fleet was sunk by a Ukrainian missile -
or the victim of an accidental fire
- as Moscow claims
", its sinking is "
a blow to the pride of the Russian navy in the Black Sea
“, headlines the
Süddeutsche Zeitung.
It is "
a serious setback for Russia both militarily and symbolically
", comments the
New York Times
, which evokes "
a hard blow for Russian morale, and a boost to Ukrainian hopes, while this sinking demonstrates their technological capacity for resistance and the weakness of the anti-missile defenses of the Russian Navy
”.
"
This could change the military situation in the Black Sea
," said the
Wall Street Journal,
like
La Repubblica.
The Italian newspaper believes "
that this rules out a little more the possibility of a Russian landing in the port of Odessa, and offers the Ukrainian command the possibility of moving the units defending the city elsewhere, in particular in Donbass where the Ukrainians are expect a vast offensive
”.
It remains to be seen how Russia will react "
to this major humiliation
", notes the
Washington Post,
which reports that "
the CIA is now concerned that Russia is turning to the use of small nuclear weapons in the desperate hope of achieve a semblance of victory in Ukraine
” after 50 days of fighting.
"
Low-powered nuclear weapons that can be fired from a simple mortar
," the
Post
continues , adding, however, "
there is no concrete evidence yet to suggest such a threat is imminent
."
Russia threatens to deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltic
The Kremlin's anger was not long in coming, unsurprisingly "
in the aftermath of Finland's decision to initiate an immediate debate on its NATO membership, and while Sweden is considering a similar step
", notes the
Washington Post .
Russia highlights its threats “
to strengthen its defenses in the Baltic, including by deploying nuclear weapons there
”, specifies the
Guardian
“
if the 2 Nordic countries join the Alliance
”.
It is above all "
a new maneuver by the Kremlin which uses the threat of its nuclear saber to also deter any military intervention by the West in Ukraine
", comments the British daily.
For its part,
El País
highlights that Lithuania “
minimizes the threat by claiming that the Russians already have such weapons in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad
”.
"
The Prime Minister of Finland intends, in any case, to decide quickly, in the coming weeks
", reports the Spanish daily again, which underlines "
that she has not denied the possibility that her country and Sweden will formalize their request for accession at the end of June to the Madrid summit
".
The European Union is preparing an oil embargo against Russia
"
Another blow to come for Moscow
," says the
New York Times.
"
After the ban on Russian coal imports
", underlines the American daily, "
the Europeans are 'reluctantly' preparing an oil embargo which should probably be adopted in the coming weeks
".
"
Reluctantly
", because "
it is in Europe the most contested measure to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine
", contested in particular because of its high cost for Germany, underlines the
Times
.
This is why "
it will be a gradual ban on Russian oil to give Berlin time to find other suppliers
", explains the daily, which specifies that this embargo will not be presented "
before the second round of the French elections, April 24 at the earliest
.
Elon Musk's takeover bid on Twitter sparks controversy
Elon Musk, the whimsical boss of Tesla, "
the richest man in the world, has just put 43
billion dollars on the table
" to "
buy out the entire social network, and make it
" the platform for the freedom of expression in the world".
And that is what worries the whole press.
The
Times
fears "
the chaos that these proposals for total freedom
" could cause on the network.
The
Washington Post
also says it is “
frightened
”, while the
New York Times
highlights “
the serious repercussions this could have on political discourse around the world
”.
The daily stresses that Elon Musk, "
the absolutist of freedom of expression
", has already "
repeatedly carried away on twitter, deleted messages and excluded users
".
Its possible takeover is, on the other hand, welcomed by “
the American Trumpist right
”, underlines the
New York Times,
while Twitter employees feel themselves “
taken hostage
”.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Ukraine
Russia
NATO
Finland
Sweden
European Union
Oil
Twitter
Newspaper
On the same subject
War in Ukraine - Day 50
The day the cruiser Moskva, a Russian flagship, sank in the Black Sea
[LIVE] War in Ukraine: Moscow announces an intensification of its attacks on kyiv
Elon Musk is 'not sure' he can buy Twitter but has a plan B