On the second day of his European mini-tour, Thursday February 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed as a hero in Brussels.
“We are not only defending our territory, we are defending our European home”, said the Ukrainian leader during a European summit. He has ” personally “ thanked the Heads of State and Government of the EU for their “unwavering support” these last months. But he also warned that more should be done:
“We need artillery, ammunition, modern tanks, long-range missiles, modern fighter planes (…). Please do more. We have to go faster than our attacker. »
He also called for tougher economic sanctions against Moscow. The moment is crucial for Ukraine, which is worried about the recent successes of the Russian army in the Donbass and fears a major offensive in the coming weeks.
In the morning, Volodymyr Zelensky was first welcomed by MEPs who gave him a standing ovation, after stops in London and Paris the day before. “Welcome home, welcome to the EU!” », launched the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. Obviously moved, hand on heart, he listened to the Ukrainian anthem alongside the President of Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who greeted “a historic day for Europe”.
Macron and Scholz procrastinate on planes
The European Union and its Member States estimate at ” at least “ 67 billion euros their military, financial and humanitarian support to kyiv since the beginning of the conflict, on February 24, 2022. The EU will “continue support for Ukraine for as long as necessary”, promised the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. ” It is very important that we accelerate military aid. We need to do more”pleaded Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
Received in London on Wednesday by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III, the Ukrainian president had been welcomed in Paris on Wednesday evening by Emmanuel Macron who had also invited Olaf Scholz for a late dinner at the Elysée. MM. Macron and Scholz have so far temporized on planes. “I am convinced that we must give priority to useful deliveries to carry out these operations and resist, rather than commitments that will arrive very late or very far away”explained the French president in Brussels, assuring that the question of the planes had not been discussed in Paris with Mr. Zelensky. “You have to look at what can be delivered in the short term”he insisted.
Already in London, the Ukrainian president had asked “fighter jets for Ukraine, wings for freedom”. Seeming to open the door to aircraft deliveries, the head of the British government has promised to train fighter pilots “to NATO standards”. He asked the British army to study possible deliveries of planes, a solution which is only possible” long-term “.
A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned on Thursday against “a growing involvement of Germany, the United Kingdom, France in the conflict”. “The boundary between indirect and direct engagement is gradually disappearing. We can only regret it”did he declare.