Leaders were shown the remains of a car that Ukraine says was the target of Russian troops when a mother and children were inside. Russia denies allegations that its forces committed atrocities.
“It’s an important moment,” Macron said earlier, after getting off the train in Kyiv. “It’s a message of European unity to the Ukrainians.”
Macron’s office later said it had met Zelensky in Kyiv, the first time the two leaders had met physically since the invasion began in February.
The leaders arrived on a special night train provided by Ukrainian authorities and held long meetings in the dining car after midnight to line up their positions before meeting with Zelensky.
The visit has great symbolic weight as the three Western European powers have often faced criticism for not providing Ukraine with the scale of weapons that Zelensky has asked for and for his willingness to continue talking to the president. Russian Vladimir Putin, something Baltic and Baltic. Central European leaders have found it unacceptable. The economies of France, Germany and Italy are the three largest in the European Union.
There was high hope among Ukrainians that the visit could mark a turning point, paving the way for major new arms supplies.
The Kremlin said on Thursday it hoped leaders in France, Germany and Italy would take advantage of their visit to Kyiv to discuss issues other than arms supplies to Ukraine.
Macron in the center, Scholz in the right, and Italian Draghi worked late into the night “to align their positions” before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Credit: Ludovic Marin / AP
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters that Macron, Scholz and Draghi should take advantage of their time with Zelensky to take a “realistic view of the state of affairs.”
The visit comes as EU leaders prepare to make a decision on June 23 and 24 on Ukraine’s bid to become a candidate for the EU, ahead of a major EU summit. NATO on June 29 and 30 in Madrid.
NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels to assess further military aid to Ukraine. On Wednesday, the U.S. and Germany announced more aid, as the United States and its allies provide long-range weapons that they say can make a difference in a fight in which Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and outnumbered by their Russian invaders. .
On Tuesday, during a trip to the neighbors of Ukraine, Romania and Moldova, Macron said that a “message of support” should be sent to Ukraine before EU heads of state and government “should take important decisions “at its meeting in Brussels.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged European leaders to supply powerful weapons. Credit: Presidential Press Office of Ukraine
“We are at a time when we need to send clear political signals (us, the Europeans, us the European Union) to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he said.
Macron is deeply involved in diplomatic efforts to push for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would allow for future peace talks. He has frequent talks with Zelensky and has spoken to Putin several times since the launch of the invasion in late February.
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Scholz had long been reluctant to travel to Kyiv, saying he did not want to “join the queue of people making a quick entry for a photo opportunity.” Instead, Scholz said a trip should focus on doing “concrete things.”
Germany announced on Wednesday that it would provide Ukraine with three rocket launch systems of the kind Kyiv has said it urgently needs to defend itself from the Russian invasion.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Germany would transfer three M270 medium-range artillery rocket systems along with ammunition to Ukraine.
Germany said the transfer, which echoes similar moves from Britain and the United States, will be accompanied by training and will have “a rapid and significant impact on the battlefield”.
Reuters, AP