1 of 3 Zelenskyy and Macron meet in Paris Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP Zelenskyy and Macron meet in Paris Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy meets French President Emmanuel Macron this Sunday (14th). He received support from the country as Kiev completes preparations for its counteroffensive against Russian troops.
This weekend Zelenskyy was in Germany and Italy, where he also met Pope Francis.
“With each visit, Ukraine’s defense and offensive capabilities are expanding,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter, arriving at Villacoublay airbase southwest of Paris at night.
The French president plans to “reaffirm France’s and Europe’s unwavering support for restoring Ukraine’s legitimate rights and defending its fundamental interests,” according to his advisers.
At a dinner between the two presidents, Macron announced the deployment of dozens of armored vehicles and tanks, including AMX10RC vehicles, in Ukraine in the coming weeks. He went on to say that the country is focusing its “efforts on supporting Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.”
Zelenskyy’s trip to Paris was not announced in advance and comes after European Union leaders in Aachen, western Germany, hailed the Ukrainian people for their fight for freedom.
2 of 3 Macron and Zelenskyy shake hands at a meeting in Paris Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP Macron and Zelenskyy shake hands at a meeting in Paris Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP
During a visit to Germany, he met Prime Minister Olaf Scholz. “Relations with Europe are getting closer and the pressure on Russia is increasing,” he added hours after the meeting.
3 of 3 Zelenskyy met with the head of the German government Olaf Scholz this Sunday before his departure for Paris — Photo: Government of Ukraine/AFP Zelenskyy met with the head of the German government Olaf Scholz this Sunday before his departure after Paris — Photo: Government of Ukraine/AFP
On Saturday (13) Zelenskyy was in Italy, where he was received by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis.
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“Ukraine embodies everything that represents the European idea: the value of beliefs, the struggle for values and freedom, the commitment to peace and unity,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the bloc’s executive.
When Zelenskyy received the Charlemagne Prize, German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said Ukraine was part of “our European family”.
Scholz accompanied the Ukrainian President to this German city after a meeting in the capital Berlin. It was Zelenskyy’s first visit to Germany since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
On the occasion of his trip, Berlin on Saturday announced a comprehensive military aid package for Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros (around R$14.4 billion).
Scholz assured that Berlin would support Ukraine “for the necessary time” and pointed out that its commitment to Kiev, including arms, already amounts to 17 billion euros (R$90.7 billion).
The new pack includes dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, surveillance drones, and four new IrisT air defense systems.
“During the most difficult period in the modern history of Ukraine, Germany proved to be our true friend and reliable ally,” said Zelenskyy in the German Presidency’s guest book.
Zelenskyy and his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba attended a meeting with several German ministers, including diplomat Annalena Baerbock and President FrankWalter Steinmeier.
Relations between Kiev and Berlin over military aid have long been strained, and Germany has come under fire for insufficient arms supplies, although it has stepped up its support in recent months.
However, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk believes that this is not enough.
Zelenskyy used his visit to ask Scholz to support the delivery of combat aircraft, which Germany has so far refused.
Ukraine retakes its positions in Bakhmut
“The issue of combat aircraft is a priority for Ukraine (…). We need F16s, modern fighter jets, to defend the Ukrainian skies, Andrei Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, stressed on Sunday.
Ukraine is attempting to regain ground in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions (east), and in Kherson and Zaporizhia (south), which Russia claims to annex.
The leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, again lamented the inaction of the regular Russian army in Bakhmut, where fighting in eastern Ukraine is concentrated.
Both Kiev and Moscow are claiming advances around this devastated city, which is largely controlled by Russian forces.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar reported on Telegram that Kiev forces on the outskirts of the city had recaptured “more than 10 positions” from Russia. “Fierce fighting continues in the city,” he added.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, for its part, claimed to have found sites in Ternopil (west) and Petropavlivka (central east) that housed western weapons shipped to Kiev.
However, in an unusual announcement of battlefield casualties, the Ministry reported the deaths of two of its military commanders.