Russia's military aggression against Ukraine continues.



Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues across Ukraine, forcing thousands of civilians to flee the country.

We will keep you updated on developments in the situation in Ukraine on the 20th (Japan time), including the battle situation and the diplomacy of the countries concerned.



(There is a 7-hour time difference between Japan and Ukraine, and a 6-hour time difference with Moscow, Russia.)

Russia's foreign minister ``deeply concerned about increased military tensions over NATO expansion''

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov visited Belarus, an allied country, on the 19th and met with President Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Aleinik.



After the meeting, Foreign Minister Lavrov said at a press conference, "NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization, such as the United States, has expanded its membership and followed a destructive path, and political and military tensions are rising, and we are deeply concerned. ' he criticized.



In Belarus, joint exercises between the Russian and Belarusian Air Forces will also be held from the 16th of this month, and Ukraine will be shaken militarily, and Russia will cooperate with Iran and Belarus to counter the West.

Putin has another phone call with Iran's president

According to the Russian president's office, President Putin had a telephone conversation with President Raisi of Iran on the 19th and discussed cooperation in the energy field and other areas.



The two leaders just had a phone talk on the 11th of this month, and it is believed that Russia is strengthening military ties, such as acquiring drones from Iran, as the conflict with the West deepens over the situation in Ukraine.

Russia 'raises the nature of conflict to a new level'

Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the US and European government's discussions about military aid to Ukraine, including the supply of tanks, "means raising the nature of the conflict to a new level. It does not bode well for security," he said.

11 European countries joint statement "We will provide unprecedented military supplies"

Representatives of 11 European countries, including the defense ministers of Britain, Poland and the three Baltic countries, met in the Estonian capital Tallinn on the 19th and said, "We will provide unprecedented military supplies to defend Ukraine." issued a joint statement.



The statement, dubbed the "Tallinn Oath," said, "We urge other allies and partners to implement their respective assistance as soon as possible." emphasized.



Of these, Estonia, which borders Russia, has announced military aid of approximately 110 million euros and more than 15 billion yen, including howitzers and ammunition.According to the government, the total amount of military aid to Ukraine includes GDP. = more than 1% of the gross domestic product.



In addition to the 11 countries, Sweden in Northern Europe has about 50 high-performance infantry fighting vehicles CV90, 12 state-of-the-art self-propelled howitzers "Archer", and portable anti-tank missiles, for a total of 43. 100 million krona, Japanese yen, announced the provision of approximately 54 billion yen, and many European countries are strengthening their military support.

U.S. and German defense ministers talk about giving German tank Leopard 2

US Secretary of Defense Austin and German Defense Minister Pistorius met in Berlin on the 19th, and at the meeting, it is believed that they discussed whether to provide Ukraine with a German tank "Leopard 2" with high attack capability.



On the 20th, a meeting will be held in western Germany to discuss military assistance to Ukraine by Western countries, and the focus will be on whether Germany will decide to provide it.