Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, visiting France, urged his Western allies on Friday to “do more” to help kyiv in the face of Russian aggression, and was subsequently promised new American aid of $225 million US by his counterpart Joe Biden.
Addressing French deputies the day after the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, the Ukrainian president painted a black picture of the situation on the Old Continent.
“We live in a time when Europe is no longer a continent of peace,” declared the Ukrainian president, whose country has been targeted since February 2022 by a deadly Russian offensive.
“Again in Europe, cities are completely destroyed and villages are burned. Once again in Europe, filtration camps, deportations and hatred appear,” he listed, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “a common enemy” of his country and of Europe.
Hope for a “just end” to the war
Volodymyr Zelensky judged that the international peace summit scheduled for June 15 and 16 in Switzerland could bring Ukraine “to the just end of this war”. This conference will bring together more than a hundred countries and organizations, but not Russia.
The Ukrainian head of state, who will be received Friday afternoon at the Élysée by his French counterpart, affirmed that victory was possible, despite Russian advances on the front. “Can we win this battle? Certainly, yes,” he assured.
“This battle is at a crossroads,” but “for just peace, more is needed,” he warned. “And it’s not a criticism, it’s just how to defeat evil, to do more today than yesterday.” »
kyiv continues to ask Europe to increase its military support, while Russia has been gaining ground in recent months in eastern and northern Ukraine and allies are worried about the consequences for the conflict. a possible victory for Donald Trump in the next American presidential election.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden, after attending the commemorations the day before, took advantage of this visit to France to have a bilateral meeting in Paris on Friday.
The American president, who has just authorized Ukraine to strike across the Russian border, announced new aid of 225 million US dollars to his Ukrainian counterpart, to whom he promised: “The United States will always be with you. »
Pilots and planes
“You didn’t fold. You have not given in at all,” said Joe Biden, presenting his “apologies” for the months of negotiation that preceded the painful adoption by the American Congress of a support package for Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky, for his part, thanked the American president for the “tremendous support” of the United States and added: “We are counting on your support. »
During a television interview Thursday evening, Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer to kyiv of Mirage 2000-5 fighter planes and the training of Ukrainian pilots on French soil.
“The goal is that by the end of the year, they will be able to have pilots and planes,” he said, without specifying the number of aircraft.
The French president also once again mentioned a possible sending of European instructors to Ukrainian soil, at the request of kyiv, without however providing a firm response.
Biden speech
To the question of whether sending Western instructors to Ukraine constituted an escalation against Moscow, “the answer is no,” said Emmanuel Macron.
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, these statements show on the contrary that France is “ready to participate directly in the conflict”.
During the June 6 ceremonies, Joe Biden had already drawn a parallel between the fight of the Ukrainians against Russian troops and the battle to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.
He should do it again at 4 p.m. local time (2 p.m. GMT), in a speech at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, which the American Rangers seized on June 6, 1944, gaining a decisive advantage over the Germans.
Five months before the American election, it is as much the president as the Democratic candidate that we will hear from, while the polls are struggling to decide between him and his Republican rival Donald Trump.