The Ukrainian president notably called for combat aircraft to help win the war against Russia.
A surprise European mini-tour. For the first time since the start of the war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the United Kingdom and France on Wednesday February 8. He notably met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III in London, as well as the French President and the German Chancellor in Paris, in the evening.
>> Follow Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Brussels in our live
This visit should conclude on Thursday with his participation as guest of honor at the summit of the twenty-seven heads of state of the European Union in Brussels. Here is what to remember from the first stages of this unprecedented tour.
A pressing demand for combat aircraft
“We have very little time.” In London, as in Paris, Volodymyr Zelensky hammered home the same message to his European allies. “The sooner Ukraine gets long-range heavy weaponry, the sooner our pilots get planes, the sooner this Russian aggression will end”launched the Ukrainian president.
So far, Westerners have been reluctant to take this extra step in military aid to their partner, for fear of an escalation with Moscow. But the taboos have been falling one after the other for a year and the supporters of kyiv have already agreed in January to provide heavy tanks.
On the British side, the message has been well received and the door seems open. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to train fighter pilots “to NATO standards”. Smiling, his guest replied that the Ukrainian pilots, given their experience of the war, had already followed the equivalent of “two and a half years” of training. The head of the British government also asked the British army to study possible aircraft deliveries. Only one possible solution “long-term”according to Rishi Sunak.
On the French and German side, the reluctance is greater. In front of the press, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz temporized on the question of planes. The Chancellor confined himself to assuring him that the allies would support his country, particularly militarily, “as long as necessary”. At his side, Emmanuel Macron promised to continue “the effort” of “delivery of defense equipment”without providing further details.
The Franco-German commitment to support Ukraine “towards victory”
“Russia cannot and should not win.” These words are not signed by Volodymyr Zelensky, but by Emmanuel Macron. The French president took advantage of the surprise visit of his Ukrainian counterpart to Paris to recall and show his support for kyiv. “We stand with Ukraine. Firmly. And with the determination to accompany it towards victory and the restoration of its legitimate rights”, he said, after long embraces at the Elysée.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also assured the Ukrainian President that the allies would continue to support his country in repelling the Russian invasion. “We are engaged alongside Ukraine (…) and we have also supported Ukraine through financial aid, humanitarian aid and armament, heavy artillery, anti-aircraft defense and, more recently, the delivery of battle tanks, and we will continue to do so for as long as necessary”, assured the German Chancellor during a press conference.
Tank deliveries planned for “next month”
If the European planes will not take off immediately for Ukraine, the tanks should soon arrive in the country. Volodymyr Zelensky thus visited, on Wednesday, a site in southern England where Ukrainian soldiers are trained in the handling of British Challenger 2 tanks. The opportunity for the British Prime Minister to announce that these heavy vehicles would be operational as soon as “next month” in Ukraine.
For its part, Germany expects to be able to train with its allies and supply Ukraine with a first battalion of Leopard 2 tanks by April, the German Defense Minister said in Warsaw, shortly before the meeting between Olaf Scholv and Volodymyr Zelensky. The day before, the defense ministers of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark announced that Ukraine would receive “in the coming months” at least one hundred Leopard 1 A5 tanks.
However, a certain vagueness still reigns over the countries willing to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, the number of tanks they agree to provide and the date on which these tanks could be operational.
Volodymyr Zelensky honored by France
A symbolic ceremony. On Wednesday evening, Emmanuel Macron presented Volodymyr Zelensky with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. This is the highest distinction that a French president can award to a counterpart.
This honor marks the rapprochement between the two presidents, whose relations had become strained after the declarations of Emmanuel Macron on the fact of not “humiliating Russia”. “I believe he has changed. And he has changed for real this time”Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Figaro. After all, it was he who opened the door to tank deliveries. He also supported Ukraine’s candidacy for the EU. I think it was a real signal.”