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Added on the 31/03/2022 17:16:32 - Copyright : France 24 EN
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to use the Israel-Hamas war in a bid to reduce Western support for Ukraine. "Putin is very much trying to take advantage of the Hamas attack on Israel in the hopes that it will distract us... and that it will result in the United States pulling back its resources" from Ukraine, Blinken tells a Senate hearing. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls the invasion of Ukraine a "strategic failure" for Russia, pointing to Western unity and Moscow's losses. Russian President Vladimir "Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine has been a strategic failure -- greatly diminishing Russia's power, its interests and its influence for years to come," Blinken says in a speech in Helsinki. SOUNDBITE
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, visits the eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, now the epicentre of fighting as Russia's invasion stretches into its tenth month. Zelensky meets military officials and hands out awards to Ukrainian servicemen, who have been holding back a fierce and months-long Russian military campaign against the city. The brutal trench warfare and artillery battles around Bakhmut -- once known for its vineyards and cavernous salt mines -- have flattened large parts of the city and its surroundings. IMAGES ++ 334W3D8 TEXT
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes a surprise trip to Kyiv as the United States unveiled nearly $2.8 billion in new military support to Ukraine and neighbours, to face Russia. Blinken travelled in secrecy on his second trip to Kyiv since the Russian invasion in February. IMAGES
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the chapel of the Santa Cruz fortress in Oran, during a three-day visit to Algeria aimed at mending ties with the former French colony, which this year marks its 60th anniversary of independence. IMAGES
French President Emmanuel Macron visits Saint Eugene's European Cemetery in Algiers, the main cemetery in the capital at the time of the French colonisation of the country, to pay tribute to the soldiers who "died for France". IMAGES TO COMPLETE VIDI32H44WP_EN