The office of French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that he, German Chancellor Olaf Schulz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi had arrived in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
The French leader said the three leaders would hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky and send a “message of European Union” to Ukraine.
On Thursday, the French presidency announced that Macron, Schultz and Draghi had traveled overnight by train to the Ukrainian capital, confirming previous reports that they had already traveled by special train from Poland to Kyiv.
The French ambassador to Kyiv, Etienne de Bonsan, posted a photo on his Twitter account of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica of the three leaders on the train to Kyiv.
The European leaders’ visit comes as Ukraine has again called for more weapons to counter Russia’s advance in the south and east.
According to Reuters, General Dmitry Marchenko, commander of the Ukrainian forces in Mykolaiv, said that his forces could defeat Russia if they had the right weapons.
Preparations for the trip took weeks as the three European leaders sought to reduce criticism inside Ukraine over their reactions to the war.
The symbolic trip comes a day before the European Commission issued a recommendation on Ukraine’s status as a candidate for EU membership, which is scheduled to be discussed at the European Summit on June 23rd and 24th.
Kyiv criticized France, Germany and, to a lesser extent, Italy, accusing the three countries of unwillingness to support them, of slowing down arms deliveries and of prioritizing their own interests over Ukraine’s freedom and security.
During a visit to Romania on Wednesday, Macron expressed a tougher stance on Russia, saying Europe should send a strong signal to Ukraine, while stressing that Kyiv should eventually negotiate with Moscow.
It should be noted that France currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Source: Lebanon Debate
