The French President, Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the President of the Italian Council of Ministers, Mario Draghi, went to kyiv on Thursday June 16 for an unprecedented visit by ” support “ Ukrainians, as the European Union (EU) is set to decide next week whether to grant Ukraine official EU candidate status.
Arriving at kyiv station after nearly ten hours by train from southeastern Poland, Mr Macron, who holds the rotating EU presidency until June 30, said the leaders had come to address “a message of European unity” and of ” support “ in Kyiv “both for the present and for the future”.
By then visiting Irpine, one of the suburbs of kyiv devastated at the start of the war by the failed Russian offensive on the capital, the French president defended himself from all “ambiguity” in his support for kyiv, he who was widely criticized for having asserted that it was not necessary “humiliate” Russia.
“Ukraine must be able to resist and win [face à l’armée russe]. France has been alongside Ukraine since day one (…), we are alongside the Ukrainians without ambiguity. »
“We will rebuild everything”, assures Mario Draghi
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, criticized him for the lack of German arms deliveries to Ukraine, has not made a formal statement for the moment. He said the visit was aimed “to show our solidarity” and to “to ensure that the financial, humanitarian and also military assistance we are organizing will continue (…) as long as it takes for the struggle for Ukrainian independence”in a daily interview Picture published on his arrival in kyiv.
Like other European leaders who have come to Kyiv before them, the leaders strolled the streets of Irpin, stopping in front of buildings destroyed by fighting or a charred car, and watching a video of Irpin in the thick of the fighting. At the end of this visit, the French President praised “heroism” Ukrainians.
“It is here, among other places, that the Ukrainians stopped the Russian army which was descending towards kyiv. So you have to imagine the heroism of the army, but also of the Ukrainian population”said Mr. Macron, referring to “the stigmata of barbarism” and ongoing investigations into war crimes that Ukrainians accuse Russian forces of. Hundreds of civilians were killed in the towns of Irpin, Boutcha and Borodyanka during the Russian occupation of this region in March. International investigations are ongoing.
“We will rebuild everything”, assured Mr. Draghi, at the end of the visit. Russians “Destroyed kindergartens, playgrounds. Everything will be rebuilt”he told the press. “Much of what [les Ukrainiens] told me is about reconstruction”he continued, referring to their ” hope “ as to “what they want to do in the future”. According to him, “they have already started” in particular thanks to an application that “list every place that has been destroyed”. Thus, the authorities “know exactly where the sites to be rebuilt are”he added to the press.
Ukraine’s accession to the EU at the heart of the discussions
The four leaders then returned to central kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before a joint press conference in the afternoon.
The Ukrainian capital has come back to life since the Russian withdrawal from the region, but is still occasionally hit by fire. Warning sirens sound there frequently, as was the case shortly after the arrival of European leaders.
The question of Ukraine’s accession to the EU should be at the heart of the discussions. Mr. Zelensky insists that his country, by defending ” values ” of Europe in the face of Russian aggression, won the right to join the European bloc, which the EU refused to consider before the start of the Russian invasion. The Twenty-Seven must decide, during a summit on June 23 and 24, whether they will initially grant Ukraine the official status of candidate for membership, the start of a negotiation process which may last years. The European Commission is due to make its recommendation known on Friday.
On Wednesday, from Romania, the French president had stressed the need to send “clear political signals” to Ukrainians in a “unprecedented geopolitical situation”. Among the Twenty-Seven, the countries of Eastern Europe support this candidacy, but others such as Denmark or the Netherlands have expressed reservations. Any decision requires unanimity.
Renewed request for more heavy weapons
Ukraine could obtain candidate status with conditions or a date for the opening of negotiations, according to some experts. France says to itself ” opened “ to this candidature, but proposes the creation of a European political community which would make it possible to anchor Ukraine more quickly in Europe, by associating it with concrete defense, energy or infrastructure projects, without waiting a membership. A proposal freshly welcomed in kyiv, which fears that it will postpone EU membership indefinitely.
The Ukrainian president is also expected to reiterate his request for the acceleration of heavy weapons deliveries. “Ukraine must obtain everything necessary to achieve victory”, he insisted on Wednesday before the Czech deputies. Mr Macron assured that France had helped to provide military equipment “defensive then offensive”in particular with the supply of Caesar self-propelled guns, already used on the Donbass front.
The visit comes as Ukrainian forces struggle in Donbass, a region in eastern Ukraine partially controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014 and which Moscow has set itself the goal of full control.
The United States announced on Wednesday a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine of one billion dollars, which includes in particular artillery pieces and additional shells. “I want to express my gratitude for this support, it is particularly important for our defense in Donbass”, reacted Mr. Zelensky in his daily video message. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on Wednesday called on his allies to “intensify” arms deliveries to the Ukrainians.