After a first stop in London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stopped in Paris on Thursday as part of a mini-tour among his main European allies intended to garner more support for the Russian invasion, without mentioning according to him any ceasefire.
The French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, and his Ukrainian counterpart exchanged a long and warm handshake before their bilateral meeting. The ceasefire “is not a subject of our discussions […] with our allies,” declared the Ukrainian president after this meeting, attributing information on this subject to Russian “disinformation.”
He also, like everywhere else, called for a rapid increase in Western aid. “Before winter, we need your support,” he insisted.
Emmanuel Macron, for his part, assured that France’s aid was continuing “in accordance with its commitments”, and underlined “the progress in the training and equipment of a brigade. » “It is also a very unique model of cooperation,” he argued.
Volodymyr Zelensky is now expected in Rome and then in Berlin on Friday, less than a month before the American presidential election, the uncertain outcome of which has raised fears in kyiv for the sustainability of American support.
The prospect of a Donald Trump victory was, however, downplayed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in London. “Stop worrying about a Trump presidency,” he told reporters.
“I am absolutely convinced that the United States will be involved, because they understand that it is not only about Ukraine but also about themselves,” added the head of NATO.
In London on Thursday morning, President Zelensky presented the details of his “victory plan” against Russia to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mark Rutte, according to a press release from the Ukrainian presidency.
This plan “aims to create favorable conditions for a just end to the war,” the Ukrainian leader said in the statement. “Ukraine can only negotiate with a strong position. »
This plan must be unveiled during a second peace summit, expected in November, but the date of which has not been confirmed by kyiv.
Long-range missiles
Volodymyr Zelensky once again insisted on Thursday on “the need to obtain authorization to strike deep into Russian territory” with long-range weapons, supplied in particular by the United Kingdom.
The leader has for months been demanding authorization to use Britain’s long-range Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets inside Russian territory.
But Mark Rutte called, after the trilateral meeting, “not to focus on a single weapons system”, believing that none of them would make “the difference”.
The British Prime Minister “reiterated his unfailing support [du Royaume-Uni] to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s military aggression.
The UK has been one of kyiv’s main supporters since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. This is the second time the Ukrainian president has come to London since Labor took office. be able to on the 4th of July.
Expensive weapons
This European tour comes as Russian troops continue their advance in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian army claimed Thursday to have struck two launchers of American Patriot anti-aircraft systems, expensive and valuable weapons delivered to Ukraine to face the daily bombings by Kremlin forces.
On Friday, the Ukrainian president will be received in Berlin by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose government plans to halve its bilateral military aid to Ukraine in 2025, to the great displeasure of kyiv.
The German research institute Kiel Institute warned on Thursday of a possible drop in Western aid to Ukraine next year.
The possible return of Donald Trump to the White House “could block future aid plans in Congress,” warns the institute, which lists the military, financial and humanitarian aid promised and delivered to Ukraine.
According to its projections, military and financial aid would amount to 59 and 54 billion euros respectively in 2025 if Western donors maintained their level of aid. Conversely, they would fall by half, to 29 and 27 billion euros, without new American aid and if European donors aligned with Germany.
President Zelensky, who has been visiting Western chancelleries for more than two and a half years, has deplored in recent weeks the slowness of his allies’ decision-making.
In the meantime, Russian forces are gradually advancing in the Donetsk region towards Pokrovsk, a logistics hub for Ukrainian troops.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian soldiers expressed to AFP their doubts about the offensive in the Russian region of Kursk.
“If this is a short-term operation, it will strengthen us,” Bogdan, a soldier interviewed in Druzhkivka, near Kramatorsk, told AFP. “If this is a long-term operation and we plan to stay in Kursk, it will deplete our main resources.”