The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, met this Thursday in Paris with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, within the framework of a frenetic European tour who seek to renew support before the US election.
Macron received his Ukrainian counterpart at the Elysee Palace, seat of the presidency, who hours before discussed in London with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, his “plan for the victory” of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president was received by the head of the Labor government at 10 Downing Street, where, after a bilateral meeting, the new Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, joined the meeting.
Starmer told the leader of the Atlantic Alliance that he and Zelensky discussed Ukraine’s “plan for victory” in its fight against the Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
The objective is “to create conditions for a just end to the war,” declared the Ukrainian leader, quoted in a statement from his office. “Ukraine can only negotiate from a strong position,” he added.
The unknowns of the plan
This plan, currently very vague, should in principle be revealed at a peace summit in the month of November, on a date to be defined.
“The issue here is Ukraine, but also the defense of the West and how we remain secure,” said Rutte, who has promised to keep the Ukrainian issue among his priorities and visited kyiv last week, two days after taking office. post.
In Rome, Zelensky must meet in the evening with the Italian Prime Minister, the post-fascist Giorgia Meloni. On Friday morning, Pope Francis will receive him at the Vatican.
The Ukrainian president will close his European tour on Friday in Berlin, where he will speak with Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a time when Germany plans to cut the amount allocated to bilateral military aid to Ukraine by half in 2025.
Although a meeting of kyiv’s military partners was initially scheduled for Saturday at the Ramstein base in Germany, it was postponed since US President Joe Biden must remain in the United States to supervise the device deployed against Hurricane Milton.
A pressing obligation for Democrat Biden and a setback for Zelensky, fearful that financial and military aid to Ukraine will be reduced in the event that Republican Donald Trump prevails over Democrat Kamala Harris in the US presidential election on November 5.
More weapons
During his tour, the Ukrainian president plans reiterate its request for weapons and military equipment, at a very delicate moment for his country.
Not only has the Russian army continued to gain ground on kyiv on the Eastern Front in recent months, but Western aid could also slow down considerably, the German research institute Kiel warned on Thursday.
“Starting next year, Ukraine could face a significant aid deficit,” the institute, which tracks military, financial and humanitarian aid promised and effectively delivered to Ukraine, published in a statement.
A possible electoral victory for Trump “could block future aid plans in Congress”warned the Kiel Institute.
President Zelensky has put intense pressure on his Western partners in recent months, in this case over their reluctance to deliver long-range missiles, which would allow Ukraine to hit distant targets on Russian territory.