Alongside the German, Polish and British leaders, Emmanuel Macron went this Saturday morning to kyiv to meet the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
For the second time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron went this Saturday, May 10 to kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelensky, said the Élysée. During a trip to Nancy this Friday, the French president said that he would go there in “useful time”, without wanting to give more details. The Ukrainian president announced earlier in the day the holding of a Summit of leaders of the “volunteer coalition”which mainly brings together European countries supporting kyiv.
Emmanuel Macron will be accompanied by the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Europe asks Russia “to accept a ceasefire”
The objective of this visit: “Reaffirm our support for calls launched by President Trump in favor of a peace agreement”. This Thursday, the American president reiterated his call for “an unconditional 30-day ceasefire” in Ukraine this before leading to a “lasting peace”.
“Alongside the United States, we call on Russia to accept a full and unconditional cease-fire of 30 days to allow talks to be held for just and lasting peace,” write the leaders.
“We ask Russia to stop hindering the efforts made to achieve lasting peace,” continue via A joint declaration The four heads of state.
The latter say they are “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible” with the objective of “approaching the technical methods of implementing the ceasefire and preparing a global peace agreement.”
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French, Polish, British and German leaders also claim that “Ukraine must be able to reconnect (…) with prosperity as a safe, secure and sovereign nation in its internationally recognized borders.”
A reference to Crimea, annexed illegally by Russia in 2014. At the end of April, Donald Trump said that this peninsula “will remain under Russian control”, qualifying this territory “lost” for “years”. For its part, Volodymyr Zelensky had reaffirmed that Crimea was part of Ukrainian territory, believing that the status of Crimea is not “to be discussed”.
During their visit, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk, Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz will go to Maidan square in kyiv, to “pay tribute to the defenders of Ukraine killed and injured during this war waged by Russia.”
Then, alongside the Ukrainian president, they will participate in a virtual meeting with several partners, still according to the Élysée.
The French president only went to Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022. It was in June of the same year during a trip to the side of the German Chancellor of the Olaf Scholz era but also of the president of the Italian council Mario Draghi and the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis.
Thierry Arnaud, with Matthieu Heyman
