Russia-Ukraine war: ‘Europe’ metro station in Paris renamed as ‘Europe-Ukraine'

As the world continues to showcase solidarity to Ukraine, the ‘Europe’ metro station in Paris has been now renamed as ‘Europe-Ukraine’. Video emerged on social media showing people changing the name of the metro station themselves as the Statue of Liberty in Colmar, France was also decorated with the Ukraine flag.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron backed Ukraine and slammed the “lies” spread by the Russian government to justify a war in Ukraine. However, Macron said he would stay in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try and obtain a ceasefire. 

In a nationwide address to the French people, Macron said, “It is alone, betraying his international commitments one by one, that President Putin chose war…This war is not a conflict between the West and Russia, as some would like us to believe. There is no NATO base in Ukraine. These are lies. Russia is not agressed, it is the aggressor. This war is not a fight against Nazism ... it's a lie.”

It is to note that Macron has led the European efforts to avert the Russia-Ukraine war by visiting Putin in Moscow last month and attempting to mediate over the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After Russia on 24 February launched the ‘special’ military operation, Macron had accused Putin of ‘duplicity’. Meanwhile, as Russia continues to mount an attack on its neighbour for the eighth day in a row, Ukraine has ramped up efforts to secure a European Union (EU) membership with a process already on the way. 

'Over 2,000 Ukrainians killed in Russian invasion'

With the second round of Russia-Ukraine talks looming, both countries have revealed their own death tolls as the United Nations (UN) said that one million Ukrainians have fled the country in just seven days of the war. Acknowledging casualties for the first time since starting a military operation in Ukraine last week, the Russian defence ministry said that 498 of its personnel have been killed in Ukraine and 1,597 were wounded.

However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Wednesday claimed that Russia has lost around 9,000 of its soldiers, just a day after he said that the 'enemy' lost 6,000 of its personnel.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service on Wednesday had also said that more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians have so far been killed during Russia's ongoing invasion. According to CNN, before the services removed the statement, it stated, "Children, women and our defence forces are losing their lives every hour". The emergency service further informed that hospitals, houses and kindergartens have been destroyed by Russian forces over the last seven days.

(Image: AP/Twitter)