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French President Emmanuel Macron (centre), Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and Ukrainian President Selenskyj before their working lunch at the Élysée Palace
Photo: Lewis Joly / dpa
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and French President Emmanuel Macron met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Wednesday evening.
A dinner in the Élysée Palace will be about further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia, it was said in advance in Paris.
Previously Zelenskyj was in London.
There, as in Paris, he renewed his request for Western fighter jets, which Scholz and Macron did not respond to.
It is expected that Zelenskyj will travel to Brussels as a guest for the EU summit after the visit to Paris.
Ukraine wants to join the European Union as soon as possible.
So far, however, negotiations have not even started.
Macron and Scholz visited Selenskyj together in Kyiv in June and promised him support there.
Scholz promised the Ukrainian President further military, humanitarian and financial support - for as long as necessary.
"We stand close to Ukraine on the way to advancing the defense of our own country," said Scholz on Wednesday evening.
"It remains the same: Russia must not win this war." Scholz said that Selenskyj was traveling to Brussels with the embassy: "Ukraine is part of the European family."
Macron assures Ukraine "support until victory".
Macron promised Ukraine "support until victory" in defending against the Russian war of aggression.
"Ukraine can count on France and Europe to win this war," Macron said.
“We stand resolutely with Ukraine to see them through to victory.
Russia cannot and must not win.«
Together, it is about creating a peace that is fair to Ukraine, Macron said.
"Ukraine can count on us to create peace." At the dinner in the Élysée Palace, Ukraine's operational needs should also be discussed, Macron said, without specifically promising the delivery of further weapons.
In Paris, Zelenskyj again demanded the delivery of fighter jets and heavy weapons to his country.
The military equipment must be delivered "as soon as possible."
Zelenskyy said that the sooner Ukrainian pilots get planes, "the sooner this Russian aggression will end and we can return to peace in Europe."
It is the second trip abroad for the Ukrainian president since the war began almost a year ago.
The first trip took him to Poland and the USA.
jso/dpa