Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a prize in Germany honoring his contribution to European unity on Sunday and will continue his consultations in Paris with a view to preparing a counter-offensive against Russia.
Ukraine is fighting for freedom and the values of Europe, several European Union (EU) leaders greeted on Sunday who traveled to Aachen for the presentation to the President and the people of Ukraine of the prestigious Charlemagne Prize.
“Ukraine embodies everything that the European idea stands for: the courage of convictions, the struggle for values and freedom, the commitment to peace and unity,” said Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission,
The Ukrainian president, who was in Rome and at the Vatican on Saturday, is expected in Paris at the end of the day where he will be received by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
The German stage of Mr. Zelensky, the first since the beginning of the Russian invasion, had started in the morning in the German capital.
It marked a clear warming of relations between Berlin and kyiv, a time strained by the procrastination of the Chancellor to deliver the weapons claimed by Ukraine.
“I would like to sincerely thank you, Olaf, as well as all the German people, for every Ukrainian life saved thanks to your support”, thus launched the Ukrainian leader, in sweatshirt black and khaki pants, to Mr. Scholz at a joint press conference.
“Reliable ally”
“We will support you as long as necessary,” assured Olaf Scholz, stressing that Berlin’s commitment, including armaments, has so far amounted to 17 billion euros. Is the most important allied contribution after the United States, according to Mr. Zelensky.
He is mobilizing his support in Europe at a time when his army is preparing a counter-offensive in the east of the country against the Russian forces.
In Berlin, the Ukrainian leader assured not to “attack Russian territory” and to focus on the liberation of the occupied territories.
He also asked the Chancellor to support the delivery of combat aircraft, which the latter has so far refused.
Mr. Zelensky has also shown himself open to peace “discussions” but “only” on kyiv’s terms.
Also welcomed by Head of State Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Ukrainian leader hailed Germany’s leading role.
“In the most difficult period of modern Ukrainian history, Germany has proven to be our true friend and reliable ally,” the leader noted in the guestbook of the German presidency.
On the occasion of his visit, the German government announced that it was preparing a new military aid plan for Ukraine of 2.7 billion euros, a record amount since the start of the conflict, according to the weekly Der Spiegel.
The new package notably includes dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, surveillance drones and four new Iris-T air defense systems.
However, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrij Melnyk said he did not go far enough, calling for the “taboo” of delivering fighter jets to be broken.
Prigozhin accuses
For the expected offensive of the Ukrainian army, “the issue of combat aircraft is a priority for Ukraine […]. We need F-16s”, modern combat aircraft, to defend the Ukrainian skies, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrei Yermak insisted on Sunday.
The Ukrainian president’s diplomatic tour comes ahead of an EU leaders’ summit in Reykjavik and a meeting of G7 leaders in Japan next week.
Ukraine said on Sunday that it had taken over “more than 10 Russian positions” in the eastern suburb of Bakhmout, the epicenter of fighting for several months and the scene in recent days of a Ukrainian advance on the flanks of Russian defenses.
On Sunday, the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, once again pointed the finger at the inaction of the Russian regular army around Bakhmout.
Mr. Prigojine, in open conflict with the Russian hierarchy, accused “the airborne forces” of not supporting his men as the Ministry of Defense claims.
Moscow ensures to continue its progress in the city already mostly under its control and today largely devastated.
And the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that it had “touched” in Ternopil (west) and Petropavlivka (center-east) in Ukraine sites housing in particular Western weapons delivered to Kiev.
However, Moscow also announced the death of two Russian military officials on the front, a rare communication from the military hierarchy since the start of the military offensive in its neighbor nearly 15 months ago.