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Issued on: 28/07/2022 - 19:20

French President Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Thursday for a working dinner and talks at the Elyse Palace. The meetingcomes as Western nations, including France, seek to diversify their oil suppliesamidthe war in Ukraine and revive a nuclear deal with Iran. Macron has indicated that he intends to raise the subject of human rights with MBSamid criticism from rightsgroups over the visit.

Paris is the second stop of MBS first European Union visitsince the 2018 murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggiin the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. It is seen as the latest attempt byWestern powersto rehabilitate Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, who US intelligence concluded had "approved" the operation to "capture or kill" Khashoggi,and revitalise their relations with the oil-producing country.

France and other EU countries have been set on diversifying their energy sourcessince Russia invaded Ukraineon February 24, and as Russian energy giant Gazpromhas slashed gas deliveries to Europe. Macron, along withUSPresident Joe Biden,wants Saudi Arabia, the worlds largest oil exporter, to boost production and stabilise prices.

French opposition figures and human rights groups have criticised Macrons decision to host MBS. Amnesty International Secretary GeneralAgnes Callamard tweeted ahead of the crown prince's visit that "the rehabilitation of the murderous prince will be justified in France as in the United States by arguments of realpolitik. But it's actually bargaining that predominates, let's face it".

A senior aide toMacron saidThursday on condition of anonymitythat "the president will raise the issue of human rights as he does on each occasion with Mohammed bin Salman. He will talk about it in a general way, but will also take the chance to raise individual cases."

The official added that the two leaderswill also discuss oil production and the Iran nuclear deal.

Fatima Abo Alasrar, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, spoke with FRANCE 24 about the controversy surrounding MBS visit to Paris.

FRANCE 24: Why this trip, why this rehabilitation, what has changed?

Fatima Abo Alasrar: This trip comes at a very critical time, as the war in Ukraine has really changed the political and economic equation. France, among other European countries, is trying to find other alternative sources of energy and also trying to raise the oil production and to this effect, weve seen a lot of changes in the region. Weve seen President Bidens recent visit to Saudi Arabia during which he indirectly requested an increase in oil production in order to stabilise the energy resources and basically back off from getting oil sources from Russia. So, it's in a moment of need, a greater need that the West seems to be realigning and reaching out to other Gulf countries in order to solidify their own interests at home.

This is clearly a victory for MBS. What does this say about accountability on the world stage?

Its a very complicated question. There has been accountability to some extent, there has been pursuit and I think France and other European countries pretty much know exactly who theyre dealing with. The problem is we see double standards everywhere, if we want to care about human rights, we have to care about it everywhere but certain exceptions are being made. There are exceptions that are being made for China, there are exceptions being made for Russia, even the United States is not fully immune. There are human rights abuses in, whether it's Guantanamo Bay, whether it's in immigration issues that were seeing or even racial issues that were seeing in the United States, for example. So, human rights has to be dealt with but we also have to find a way to influence positively in this important category and part of this has to come from being able to talk to adversaries in some ways. But the Saudi kingdom is not necessarily an adversary as it has a historic relationship with Europe and the United States and a positive relationship on that level.

I think its fair to say that MBS has beenostracised by the international community to some extent for the past four years. He is now obviously desparate to bolster Saudi Arabias regional power, especially when it comes to Iran. He wants to make his point of view very clear to the rest of the world.

MBS is really trying to build relationships with the West but at the same time, the Saudis are taking more or less reconciliatory tones towards Iran. Theyre trying to say that theyre willing to work with whatever they can have because Iran is really having an influence in the region, in the Gulf, through its militias, that fact cannot be denied. And the Saudis have really failed to deal with the threat of these militias, from a military perspective, so I think that they are seeking a diplomatic solution alongside other Western countries, as they know the threat is not really going away. But at the same time, they are trying to realign with other Western countries to say that Iran should not be getting a carte blanche.

France has been pushing for a nuclear deal. Do you think MBS is going to hear that message?

I dont think the Saudis will favour a nuclear deal with Iran, given Irans hostile attitude and refusal to deal with the [International Atomic Energy Agency]. So theres several factors. The Saudis are really concerned, theyre not going to push for it but if the Iran deal is to happen, if it is to take place, then the Saudis and Gulf countries need to be somewhat consulted and seen as a partner in this process, rather than an entity that is imposed on. Therefore, the West has to somewhat change its views and realise that theres a lot at stake: the stability of the Saudi kingdom, Israel, Yemen, there are so many countries that are being affected. [Western countriesmust ask themselves] how can we really approach this relationship from a partnership perspective rather than simply saying, heres the deal: Do you accept it or do you reject it?

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War in Ukraine has changed the equation between the West and Saudis MBS - FRANCE 24 English

Thank you, Mr Chair. I want to begin by reflecting on events since 24 February, when Russia invaded its sovereign and democratic neighbour. Since then, Russia has pursued barbaric tactics, once thought consigned to history. Indifferent to International Law, desperate and cowardly, the Russian government has relentlessly targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure. 155 days ago, Ukrainian cities were bustling, prosperous centres. 155 days ago, 20 million now displaced Ukrainian people were living undisturbed in their own homes. 155 days ago, 4-year-old Liza, 7-year-old Maxim, 8-year-old Kirill and 350 other Ukrainian children had their whole lives ahead of them.

But on 24 February, the Russian government did not know that they would come to regret testing the mettle of Ukraine and its partners. President Putin sought to bring Ukraine to its knees, but encountered a country that refused to yield. As Russian forces retreated, defeated, from Kyiv, President Putin must have realised how grossly he underestimated the Ukrainian peoples bravery and determination. 155 days on it is clear that President Putin cannot and will not subjugate Ukraine. 155 days on, the UK and our allies remain steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine and the defence of its sovereignty.

Mr Chair, as Ukraine continues to pay a devastating price for its freedom, the impacts of Russias invasion are also felt globally. Before 24 February, Ukraine was one of the largest exporters of grains and vegetable oils, feeding hundreds of millions worldwide. Because of President Putins actions, some of the worlds poorest and most vulnerable people are at risk of starvation. If Russias aggression continues, the World Food Programme estimates that up to 47 million more people could face acute food insecurity this year. The UN Secretary General has warned that the war is threatening to unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution, leaving social and economic chaos in its wake. The scale of the suffering is truly horrific.

President Putin cannot be allowed to hold the worlds food supply to ransom in order to escape the sanctions that are weakening his war machine. We applaud Turkey and the UN Secretary General for their efforts to broker an agreement to allow millions of tonnes of grain to be exported through safe lanes in Ukrainian waters. But our position is clear, this agreement is only needed to solve a problem caused by Russia.

Russia is responsible for stopping Ukrainian grain exports; Russia holds the keys for them to restart. It is absolutely appalling that only a day after reaching an agreement, Russia launched missile strikes on the port of Odesa. Russia must implement its agreement and allow safe export from Ukraine; the world will be watching. The international community must present a united front and make clear to the Russian government that their actions to worsen world hunger are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

The UK stands firmly with those who are worst affected by the global food crisis and we will continue to provide humanitarian aid and economic support for those that need it most. Over the next three years, the UK will provide 3 billion in humanitarian funding globally and drive a more effective international response to humanitarian crises.

Mr Chair, 5 months on from Russias invasion of Ukraine, the death and destruction Russia has caused are clear for all to see. We must continue to collectively hold Russia to account for what it has done in Ukraine and across the globe. And we must continue to stand with and support Ukraine in its fight for its homeland. Ukraine deserves peace.

I join our partners in calling again on Russia to secure the immediate release of all national Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) members still in detention. As the Acting Chief Monitor made clear on Monday, the Mission and its dedicated staff have performed their duties with the utmost professionalism and impartiality for the last 8 years. The unfounded claims and fabricated accusations Russia has levelled against it are shameful.

Finally, as we approach the summer period, the UK will continue to be watching Russias actions on the ground closely. There is no respite for the people of Ukraine, who continue to lay down their lives in pursuit of peace, freedom, and integrity of their country. We stand with them.

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155 days on, it is clear Russia will fail in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE - GOV.UK

Ukraine and Lithuania will continue to work together to speed up the European integration of the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a joint briefing with his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda in Kyiv on Thursday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We held, as usual, substantive negotiations with President [Nauseda] on security, defense, and further protection of our common interests. Russian terrorist forces are accompanying our holiday today with increased missile activity. Air raid sirens have already gone off several times this day in many Ukrainian cities," Zelensky said.

According to him, against this background, it was especially important to hear assurances from President Nauseda that defensive assistance for the Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue to come.

"As before, we will continue to work together to speed up the European integration of Ukraine," Zelensky added.

He recalled that the first Ukrainian center for citizens who have been forced to leave Ukraine due to the Russian war had recently opened in Vilnius. According to Zelensky, this and other initiatives, together with all the help from Lithuania, "emphasize how close our peoples are, how ready we are to respond to existing challenges together."

Nauseda visited Kyiv on July 28 on the Day of Ukrainian Statehood.

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Ukraine, Lithuania will continue to work together to speed up Ukraine's EU integration - Zelensky - Ukrinform

Children killed in Russian missile strike on Ukrainian apartment

An apartment bombing in Odesa is the second mass civilian casualty missile strike on Ukraine this week.

Cody Godwin, USA TODAY

The cost of rebuilding battered Ukraine after the war is estimated at a staggering $750 billion, but some of those funds could come from the source of the damage.

Just as he has appealed to the international community for help in his country's attempt to fend off the Russian invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy toldthe Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland a global effort will be needed for restoration.

The reconstruction of Ukraine is not a local project, is not a project of one nation, but a common task of the entire democratic world all countries, all countries who can say they are civilized, Zelenskyy said in a video message. Restoring Ukraine means restoring the principles of life, restoring the space of life, restoring everything that makes humans humans.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who attended the conference in Luganoin person, provided the $750 billion figure andpresented a recovery plan forimmediate and long-term needs.

Shmyhalalso said a large source offunding should be the confiscated assets of Russia and Russian oligarchs, which he said may currently amount to between $300 billion and $500 billion.

USA TODAY ON TELEGRAM: Join our Russia-Ukraine war channel to receive updates straight to your phone.

Latest developments

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the International Olympic Committeefor supporting a ban on Russian athletes in most Olympics sports.Russia has an appeal hearing Tuesday challenging its ban from international soccer at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Pope Francis, who has condemned the "ferocity'' and "cruelty''of Russian troops in Ukraine, said he hopes to visit Moscow and Kyiv after his trip toCanada July 24-30.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in the battle for Ukraine's Luhansk province Monday and ordered rest for his troops before pushing on in the Kremlin's quest to take control of the entire Donbas industrial region.

"Military units that took part in active hostilities and achieved success and victory should rest, increase their combat capabilities, Putin said on state TV.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported that Russian forces had taken control of Lysychansk, the last disputed major city in Luhansk. Earlier, Ukraine's military said it wasforced to withdraw in the face of Russia'sadvantage in artillery, aviation, ammunition and personnel. Continuing to hold out would lead to "fatal consequences" for its troops, the military said in a Facebook post.

"We just gotta keep on fighting," the post said. "Unfortunately, steel will and patriotism are not enough for success. Material and technical resources are needed."

Despite Russia's claims to the contrary, its invasion is still having "a devastating impact on Ukraine's agricultural sector,'' the British Defense Ministry saidin its latest intelligence assessment.

The ministry saidthe Russian blockade of the key port of Odesa in the Black Sea is severely limiting Ukraine's ability to export grain while harvest has begun.In addition, the war hasdisrupted the supply chain of seeds and fertilizer farmers use.

That combination will most likely shrink Ukraine's agricultural exports this year to 35% or less of what they were in 2021, the ministry said, pointing out that drastic reduction from a major wheat producer is contributing to the global food crisis.

Russia's increasing use of outdated weaponry in a number of deadly attacks may beevidence its military lacks more precise modern weapons, military analysts say.

Russian bombers have been using 1960s-era KH-class missiles, which were primarily designed to target aircraft carriers using a nuclear warhead and are not able to accurately strike ground targets, officials say. The weapons were used in twoattacks on a shopping center and apartment building last week, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties.

Russia continues to employ air-launched anti-ship missiles in a secondary land-attack role, likely because of dwindling stockpiles of more accurate modern weapons, the British defense ministry said on Twitter.

Both Russia and Ukraine have expended large amounts of weaponry ina grinding war of attritionfor the easternDonbas region.President JoeBidensaid last month the U.S. would provide Ukrainelonger-range precision rockets, but it's not clear yet how much difference they'll make.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Ukraine live updates: Reconstruction cost estimated at $750 billion - USA TODAY

Kyiv, Ukraine It wasnt a knock, it was loud banging at about 7:30 on a recent Saturday morning.

Taras opened the door of his two-bedroom apartment in Kreminna, a town in Ukraines southeastern Luhansk region that was taken over by Russia in late April, to see three gun-toting soldiers in camouflage.

Do you have a garage on the corner? the oldest of them, a redhead in his late 20s, asked Taras imperatively.

Without waiting for his answer, the soldier continued: Open it up.

He was talking about a group of three dozen garages built in the early 1980s, an area which had become an informal club, where men could have a drink, crack a joke and play backgammon or chess.

But to the Russian occupiers, the garages were a source of danger, a younger, less strict soldier told 53-year-old Taras on the way, and they needed to check each for arms and explosives.

They looked inside, checked the basement and left without saying a word, Taras, who requested his last name be withheld because he doesnt want to be shot, told Al Jazeera.

They only thing of interest they saw and took away was a three-litre jar with cucumbers that Tarass wife had pickled in vinegar and tomato juice.

Taras got lucky.

His neighbour had his sky-blue Lada Priora confiscated and was beaten and left bruised after he hesitated to hand over the car key for a split second.

On Monday, after the capture of the Luhansk region, media outlets in Russia aired interviews with residents of Lysychansk who thanked Moscow for liberating them and claimed Kyivs forces were inhumane.

But people Al Jazeera spoke to had rather different views.

They said Moscow appoints new officials from among Ukrainian turncoats or pro-Moscow separatists. Tens of thousands are deported to Russia, and those who remain are subjected to humiliation, torture, robbery or arbitrary, extrajudicial killing. And it is only in the areas that Moscow plans to rule directly that occupying forces and officials are instructed to treat locals with at least a shred of respect.

They dont treat us like humans. They say they came to liberate us from what? From our property? From our lives? Taras told Al Jazeera via a messaging app.

Liberation is the key word the Kremlin uses when describing what it calls the special operation in Ukraine.

In Kremlin-speak, Ukraine had to be liberated from its neo-Nazi regime, and the eastern and southern Ukrainian regions where the majority of the population speaks Russian needed a liberation from Ukrainian nationalists.

In reality, in the occupied areas of Ukraine, Russia pursues three different policies.

The first one is being implemented in places such as Kreminna in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, known collectively as the Donbas, that had already been partially controlled by separatists since 2014, says Kyiv-based political analyst Aleksey Kushch.

They use the scorched earth tactic here, a big population is seen as an unnecessary social burden, he told Al Jazeera.

Moscow prefers to send younger residents of the Donbas to Russia to repopulate its regions with low birthrates, bad local economies, and excessive alcoholism and crime.

More than a million Ukrainians have been deported to Russia from the Donbas, including the city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said.

The restoration of plants and factories in occupied Donbas, Ukraines former industrial pillar, is of no interest to Moscow. Russia simply needs to declare the liberation of areas that would later become part of the separatist statelets the so-called peoples republics of Donetsk and Luhansk known as DPR and LNR that are fully dependent on Russia economically and politically, Kushch said.

A stark example of this strategy is the way Russia operates in Mariupol, a former industrial hub on the Sea of Azov that had a population of more than 400,000 before the war.

After merciless, incessant pummelling between late February and April, it is now home to tens of thousands, mostly the elderly who live without electricity, running water and healthcare.

They cook, look for firewood, collect water and live outdoors because their shelling-damaged apartment buildings may collapse any minute and bury them alive, said Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupols mayor Vadym Boychenko, who left the city before Russias takeover.

The worst thing is that people are getting used to it. They compare [their living conditions] not to what was before the war but to [what happened] in February April. With their lives in the cold basements under fire, Andryushchenko said in a Telegram post in mid-June.

The second strategy is used in the areas Russia plans to hold on to directly namely, the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia, and in parts of the northeastern Kharkiv region adjacent to the Russian border.

There are attempts to create loyalty they plan fictional referendums to declare their residents determination to join Russia, analyst Kushch said.

In Kherson, despite hundreds of alleged abductions of pro-Ukrainian activists, most in the area are being cajoled into submission with food handouts and the promises of tax breaks, higher pensions and other perks.

Even critics of their policies admit that their efforts are aimed at appeasing the masses.

They quietly, calmly help people. One can take as much flour, grain, sugar, all in sacks. If it wasnt for them, there would have been famine, Halyna, a pro-Kyiv resident of Kherson, told Al Jazeera.

Last Wednesday, Kremlin-appointed officials in Kherson said they were preparing a referendum to join Russia.

Meanwhile, a third strategy is being used in areas where Russia did not try to create loyalists and relied on terror and mass crimes towards civilians, Kushch said.

Ukrainian officials say that more than 1,000 people have been killed in the towns and villages northwest, north and northeast of Kyiv between late February and early April, after Moscow retreated from the area after realising it would not risk street fights to seize the capital.

Many civilians were reportedly tortured, raped and shot dead in the back of their heads.

Some were killed just for fun, said a survivor who was beaten and doused with diesel fuel in late March.

They said: Lets set him on fire and send [him] back to his people, Viktor, a resident of Bucha, where most of the killings had taken place, told Al Jazeera in early April.

He survived only because shelling from the Ukrainian side forced his tormentors into a bomb shelter while he managed to escape.

Another reason why atrocities were so widespread, cruel and arbitrary is because of the narrative on Kremlin-controlled television networks that has for years portrayed Ukrainians as neo-Nazis who approve of the alleged genocide of Russian-speaking residents of the Donbas.

Another survivor described the look on the faces of three Russian soldiers who stormed into her house in the village of Myrotske 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Kyiv.

They seemed full of hatred to Ukraine since they had been born, child psychologist Rivil Kofman told Al Jazeera in mid-March.

Kofman and her son David managed to leave the village after hiding for days in their ice-cold basement, observing the duels between Russian tanks and Ukrainian artillery and witnessing the killing of their escaping neighbours in their cars.

Unsurprisingly, residents of Russia-occupied areas meet Ukrainian servicemen as their true liberators.

They cried, they hugged us, saying, Oh, my dearest ones, thank you, said Maksim Butkevych, a Ukrainian human rights advocate who volunteered to join the Ukrainian army, and took part in the battles to retake Kyiv suburbs.

One old-timer even offered me moonshine, and I had to tell him, Daddy, I am on duty! Butkevych, who was taken prisoner in the Donbas last week, told Al Jazeera in mid-May.

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What is life like in Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine? - Al Jazeera English