It is an image that is surprising. On Saturday, May 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Japan to participate in the G7 summit - summit to which he was invited - aboard a plane of the French presidency. This same plane had already served him just before to go to the summit of the Arab League.
On his Twitter account, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed in a tone of pride the presence of Volodymyr Zelensky in "a plane in the colors of the French Republic" heading to Hiroshima (Japan), where the G7 summit is being held. "The Ukrainian delegation [came] to the G7 to work with us and our partners," the head of state said. But why did the Ukrainian president travel on a French official plane?
A Ukrainian request
According to an anonymous adviser to Emmanuel Macron quoted by AFP, this request comes directly from the Ukrainian presidency. "We said yes," the Elysee told AFP. The Airbus A330 of the air force took off to pick up Volodymyr Zelensky at the Polish border and transport him first to Saudi Arabia, where he spoke Friday before the summit of the Arab League. Then from there to Japan and the G7. According to an Elysian source quoted by franceinfo and BFMTV, the France accepted Kiev's request because Emmanuel Macron is the leader who has known Volodymyr Zelensky for the longest.
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At the end of the summit, the Ukrainian president will also leave aboard an official French plane, without the return flight plan having yet been unveiled. When Volodymyr Zelensky visited Paris last week, the idea of his coming to the summit of his main allies was already "in the conversation", notes an adviser to Emmanuel Macron. But it wasn't about logistics yet.
Beyond this material issue, the two interventions of Volodymyr Zelensky, in front of Arab countries that he accuses, for some, of "turning a blind eye" to the conflict and to Brazil and India present at the G7, "are a unique opportunity" for Ukraine, according to Emmanuel Macron. "I think it can be a game changer," he said. It is therefore a diplomatic interest. There is also an obvious security aspect: attacking a French aircraft, a nuclear power, would be particularly unwelcome.
Already in mid-May, during the Ukrainian president's visit to Paris, Volodymyr Zelensky had traveled from Germany aboard a French plane.