The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania marched amid the ruins of the Ukrainian city of Irpin on the outskirts of the capital on Thursday to show their support, which the government in Kyiv hopes will see concrete action taken against Russia.
After that, the four had a meeting with the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. This is the first time Macron has met Zelenskyy since the start of the Russian invasion. And for that, the Frenchman was under pressure because of an approaching deadline: at the end of this month he is stepping down from the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).
Irpin, the town initially visited by the leaders, had a population of 62,000 before the conflict began and was one of the flashpoints of fighting before Russian troops withdrew to the region and focused on eastern Ukraine, Donbass.
Next to destroyed buildings, the Presidents of France Emmanuel Macron and Romania Klaus Iohannis and the Prime Ministers of Germany Olaf Scholz and Italy Mario Draghi listened to a local official as he recounted what had happened there Ukraine says that there had been largescale atrocities, which Moscow denies. “It’s a heroic city, marked by the stigma of barbarism,” the Frenchman told reporters.
The leaders, dressed in suits and with no visible safety gear, were surrounded by soldiers. The visit comes at a time of tension as Kyiv accused France, Germany and, to a lesser extent, Italy of cutting aid levels to Ukraine and says European countries have been slow to deliver arms amid fears of bankruptcy . especially by the energy sector.
Out there
When asked about the criticism, Macron evaded and mentioned the sending of weapons and financial aid. “France and Europe have been on the side of Ukraine and its people from the start.”
When the head of the Élysée Palace saw graffiti on the wall of a destroyed building in Irpin that read ‘Make Europe, not War’, the slogan said the slogan was touching. “That’s the right message.”
After the talks in Kyiv, Zelenskyy thanked him for his solidarity with the Ukrainian people in a message on a messaging app. The scope of the talks has not yet been announced, but the two main topics are likely to have been Ukraine’s application for EU membership and calls for more weapons to be used in the fight against Russia.
Scholz said in his official profile on Twitter that he invited Zelenskyy to attend the summit of the G7, the group that brings together the world’s largest economies, and the Ukrainian naturally agreed. “We Europeans are firmly on your side,” wrote the German Prime Minister.
According to diplomats and officials, the executive branch of the European bloc is expected on Friday to propose that the country, now occupied by Vladimir Putin’s troops, formalize its candidacy for the EU. The move would be a major political gesture for the country, but it also creates divisions among EU leaders.
“A balance has to be found between Ukraine’s natural aspirations to join the EU at a very special time and the attention given to all countries that already have candidate status and are stuck on the negotiating side,” said a French government official .
Oleksi Arestovitch, an adviser to Zelenskyy, expressed concern this week that European leaders may pressure Kyiv to accept a proRussian peace deal. Commenting on the issue, Italy’s Prime Minister Draghi said the most important thing was that negotiations started as soon as possible and that the dialogue had to be conducted “on terms acceptable to Ukraine”.
China, Midland
The visit of the Europeans had repercussions in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped the leadership would not use the talks to support Kyiv and agree to send more weapons, but would rather provide “a realistic view of the situation.”
Former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, now on the Security Council, struck a tongueincheek tone on a social network. He described the European leaders as “fans of frogs, sausages and spaghetti” a nod to typical foods from France, Germany and Italy and said the visit was futile. “That won’t bring Ukraine any closer to peace, the clock is ticking.”