Washington accuses Russia of deploying thousands of additional troops to Ukraine's borders

The White House said Wednesday that Russia had not withdrawn troops from Ukraine's border but had instead added up to 7,000 troops to the country's gates, heightening fears of a Moscow-led invasion. "Yesterday (Tuesday), the Russians announced that they were withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine (...). We now know that this is false," said a senior White House official who has requested anonymity Wednesday evening from journalists. "In fact, we have now confirmed that in recent days Russia has increased its presence along the Ukrainian border by 7,000 soldiers, some of whom arrived today" on Wednesday, he continued. According to this official, if Russia has said it wants to find a diplomatic solution, "its actions indicate the opposite". Joining the United States and NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had seen no signs of a decrease in the concentration of Russian troops on Ukraine's borders, saying he had simply observed "small rotations". On Wednesday, he attended major military exercises in the west of the country and then traveled east to Mariupol, near the frontline with pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow. "We are not afraid of any prognosis, we are not afraid of anyone (...) because we are going to defend ourselves", launched Mr. Zelensky, dressed in a military uniform on the occasion of the "Day of unity" which he had decreed. US Vice President Kamala Harris is to meet with him on the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich on Saturday, a senior White House official said on Wednesday.

A summit to "change the deal" between Europe and Africa

Security, health and stability are the three common challenges that Europe and Africa want to tackle to "change the game" of their relations at the 6th European Union-African Union summit on Thursday and Friday in Brussels. Tensions with Russia around Ukraine were invited to the summit with a one-hour meeting of the Twenty-Seven "on the latest developments" of the crisis, before its opening scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. GMT). Forty of the 55 AU member leaders must then meet with their EU counterparts to define this new partnership. Emmanuel Macron made it a highlight of the French presidency of the Council of the EU. "We want a summit that changes the game," we insist in Paris. But Europe will not be able to help an Africa where instability and insecurity reign, warns the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. Coups d'etat, conflicts, terrorism, human trafficking, piracy plague the continent and have an impact on Europe, underlines Mr. Borrell. The African Union suspended Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and South Sudan after coups. Their new leaders will not take part in the Brussels summit which will end on Friday at midday with a joint statement on the new relationship.

IN SHORT

The international community pledged, at a meeting Wednesday in Port-au-Prince, to donate $600 million to finance the reconstruction of southern Haiti, devastated six months ago by an earthquake that killed more than of 2,200 people. "These contributions go well beyond our expectations," said Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

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