Ukraine’s Zelensky makes surprise visit to Paris for talks as part of multi-stop European tour
- France dispatched a plane to pick up Zelensky in Germany, where he had held meetings with Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier on Sunday
- Emmanuel Macron’s office said the two leaders will hold talks over dinner and that Macron will ‘reaffirm France and Europe’s unwavering support’ for Ukraine
France on Monday announced dozens more light tanks and armoured vehicles for Ukraine’s army, together with training for the soldiers using them.
“In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with tens of armoured vehicles and light tanks including AMX-10RC,” said the statement.
Paris would also focus its efforts “in supporting Ukraine’s air defence capacities in order to defend its population against Russian strikes”.
“Paris. With each visit, Ukraine’s defence and offensive capabilities are expanding,” Zelensky tweeted as he arrived on Sunday evening at the airbase of Villacoublay southwest of Paris.
“The ties with Europe are getting stronger, and the pressure on Russia is growing.”
02:36
French and EU leaders urge China to ‘bring Russia to its senses’ and stop invasion of Ukraine
Macron welcomed Zelensky to the Elysee Palace for the second time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
The French leader’s office said the pair would discuss France’s “support” in responding to “Ukraine’s urgent military and humanitarian needs” during a dinner at the presidential palace.
Macron would “reaffirm the unwavering support of France and Europe for restoring Ukraine’s legitimate rights and defend its fundamental interests”, it added.
In an interview published in Opinion newspaper on Sunday, Macron said Russia has “already lost geopolitically” its war in Ukraine war and is effectively becoming a vassal state of China.
“De facto, it has entered a form of subservience with regards to China and has lost its access to the Baltic, which was critical, because it prompted the decision by Sweden and Finland to join Nato,” Macron told the newspaper.
“This was unthinkable just two years ago. So it’s already a geopolitical defeat.
“Let’s be clear, Russia must not win this war militarily. So it’s up to us to see how to help the Ukrainians with their counteroffensive, and how to prepare the issue of security guarantees in the negotiations that will inevitably take place,” Macron said.
“I’ve always said that in the end, Europe’s security architecture will have to fully defend Ukraine. But it must also envisage non-confrontation with Russia and rebuild a sustainable balance of forces.
“But there are still many steps that must be taken before we get to that,” he said.
It was his first visit to Berlin since the start of the war and came a day after the German government announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth more than €2.7 billion (US$3 billion), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition.
“German air defence systems, artillery, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles are saving Ukrainian lives and bringing us closer to victory. Germany is a reliable ally! Together we are bringing peace closer!” he wrote on Twitter after the meeting.
Scholz said Russia’s war on its neighbour had “cemented one clear realisation: Ukraine is part of our European family” and that Berlin has so far given Kyiv some €17 billion (US$18.5 billion) in bilateral aid and that it can expect more in future.
“We will support you for as long as necessary,” he said, adding that it is up to Russia to end the war by withdrawing its troops.
02:03
China to send envoy to Ukraine after Xi and Zelensky hold first call since Russian invasion
After initially hesitating to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons, Germany has become one of the biggest suppliers of arms to Ukraine, including Leopard 1 and 2 battle tanks, and the sophisticated IRIS-T SLM air-defence system. Modern Western hardware is considered crucial if Ukraine is to succeed in its planned counteroffensive against Russian troops.
Zelensky said one reason for his latest visit to allied capitals was to forge a “fighter jet coalition” that would provide Ukraine with the combat planes it needs to counter Russia’s air dominance.
Germany has said in the past that it does not have the F-16 jets Ukraine needs and Scholz responded to questions about possible plane deliveries by referring to the anti-aircraft system it has provided to Kyiv.
“That’s what we as Germany are now concentrating on,” he said.
In Ukraine, officials on Sunday denied that the country had anything to do with the downing of two Russian helicopters close to the border the day before.
They also pledged to ensure sanctions against Russia aren’t circumvented and to explore possibilities for using frozen Russian assets to pay for damage caused in Ukraine.
Zelensky first met President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s head of state, who was snubbed by Kyiv last year, apparently over his previous close ties to Russia, causing a chill in diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Germany. Since then, both Steinmeier and Scholz have visited Ukraine.
In her congratulatory speech, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen compared the war in Ukraine to the fall of the Iron Curtain more than 30 years ago.
“Every generation has its moment when it has to stand up to defend democracy and what it believes in,” she said. “For us, that moment has come.”
“Ukraine incarnates everything the European idea is living for: the courage of convictions, the fight for values and freedom, the commitment to peace and unity,” she said.
“President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine are fighting for the values and the obligation that this prize embodies. And in doing so, they are also fighting for our own freedom and our values,” von der Leyen said in a message echoed by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“Modern Russia waged war not just on us, as a free and sovereign state, not just against united Europe as a global symbol of peace and prosperity,” he said in his acceptance speech. “This is Russia’s war for the past.”
