French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday evening February 8 in Paris, also in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to "
reaffirm
" their "
unwavering support
" for Ukraine, announced the Elysee.
The three leaders will speak to the press, before having dinner behind closed doors at the presidential palace.
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"
This will be an opportunity to reaffirm France's and Europe's unwavering support for Ukraine, and to continue the close coordination that makes it possible to respond quickly and effectively to the needs expressed by Kyiv
," said the presidency. French in a press release.
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The Ukrainian president will arrive from London where he was on Wednesday for his second trip abroad since the start of the war in his country almost a year ago.
Volodymyr Zelensky is then expected Thursday in Brussels for a summit of the European Union.
He only confirmed on Wednesday evening that he would meet “
European leaders
” on Thursday .
“Major supporters”
In December, he had already been welcomed as a hero in the United States, which is by far the largest supplier of arms to kyiv to help it resist the Russian army.
This European mini-tour comes as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches, on February 24, 2022. A year ago to the day, Emmanuel Macron went to kyiv, back from Moscow, without reaching to stop the escalation.
The spokesperson for Olaf Scholz confirmed to AFP the chancellor's participation in the Parisian dinner.
“
We are leaving today for Paris, to meet Zelensky with Macron.
From there we will continue the journey to Brussels
”, said Steffen Hebestreit.
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While information on the arrival of the Ukrainian president at the European summit had begun to filter on Tuesday, his arrival first in the United Kingdom was a surprise, especially since Ukraine aspires to join the EU, of which London is n is no longer a member.
The Élysée had for its part estimated in the morning that Volodomyr Zelensky's visit to Brussels was "
a very good thing
", while considering that it was "
not illogical
" that he also go to the leaders of the EU.
"
Europe is one of its major supporters with a total of more than 45 billion euros in aid of all kinds
" and "
Europeans, including France, continue to be major supporters in terms of armaments
“, argued an adviser to President Macron.
The Parisian dinner with Volodymyr Zelensky was organized in a hurry, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The trip to the French capital will not, however, be the occasion for a great speech before Parliament, as was the case in Washington and London, and as it seems to be the case before the European deputies in Brussels.
