Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending a forum in Cernobbio, Italy, on Saturday, where he is expected to reiterate his calls for more weapons in the face of Russia’s advance in the east of his country.
The leader is due to address participants at around 7:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. GMT) at the European House-Ambrosetti forum in Cernobbio, a sort of mini-Davos taking place until Sunday on the shores of Lake Como (north).
He arrived there on Friday a few hours after having demanded “more weapons” from his allies, during a meeting of kyiv’s international supporters at the American air base at Ramstein, in western Germany.
Mr Zelensky said on Telegram that he planned to hold talks in Cernobbio on Saturday with representatives of Italian businesses and with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
This should assure him of his unwavering support, even if one of the partners in his right-wing and far-right coalition, Matteo Salvini, is fiercely opposed to any incursion by kyiv into Russian territory, such as the Ukrainian army has been carrying out since the beginning of August.
A meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Viktor Orban, who opposes Western aid to Ukraine and is close to the Kremlin, has not been confirmed at this stage, but the Hungarian nationalist prime minister said he would “of course” meet the Ukrainian president in Cernobbio if the opportunity arose.
“We have a good relationship,” Mr Orban assured reporters. “If there is no dialogue, there is no chance for peace.”
– Long range weapons –
During their last face-to-face meeting in kyiv at the beginning of July, Mr Orban had called on Mr Zelensky to consider a “rapid ceasefire”, illustrating their differences but also those between Budapest and most Europeans.
Mr Zelensky had insisted on the importance of a “just peace” for his country, recalling that Ukraine demanded for any ceasefire the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory and the payment of reparations.
Viktor Orban had sparked anger and incomprehension within the EU by visiting Vladimir Putin a few days later.
Sticking to his position, the Hungarian leader, whose country holds the EU presidency, reaffirmed on Friday that the search for peace, via negotiations, required a prior ceasefire.
While comparing kyiv and Moscow, he nevertheless considered that “neither side intends to make peace.”
Two and a half years after the launch of the Russian invasion, Ukraine is struggling: its offensive, which began in early August in the Russian region of Kursk, has not helped to stop Moscow’s advance in the East.
The Russian army is increasing its deadly bombings, such as the recent one on a military institute in Poltava, in central Ukraine, which left at least 55 dead.
In Ramstein, Mr Zelensky reiterated his demand to be able to use long-range weapons supplied by his partners “not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on Russian territory” to destroy the bases from which Moscow launches its missiles.
In Italy, he insisted that under no circumstances would these weapons be used to hit civilians or non-military targets.
Several major countries, including its two main arms suppliers, the United States and Germany, nevertheless continue to balk for fear of an escalation with Moscow, which regularly raises the nuclear threat.
“I don’t think any one specific capability will be decisive,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the meeting in Germany, saying Ukraine should rely on a combination of different weapons.
His German counterpart Boris Pistorius said Berlin’s position on the matter remained unchanged.
– New aids –
Lloyd Austin announced $250 million in new military aid that will “enhance the capabilities” of Ukraine. “The Kremlin continues to bomb Ukrainian cities and attack Ukrainian civilians. It’s a scandal,” he said.
London also announced a £162m (€192m) contract for 650 short-range, multi-role lightweight missiles, which can be fired from a variety of land, sea and air platforms.
Mr Pistorius, for his part, announced the dispatch of twelve type 2000 howitzers, six of which will be delivered this year and the rest in 2025, for a total of 150 million euros.
Canada plans to send an additional 80,840 small, unarmed air-to-ground rockets to Ukraine as well as 1,300 warheads in the coming months, its Defence Minister Bill Blair also announced in a statement.
Berlin confirmed on Wednesday new deliveries of Iris-T air defense systems which are to help intercept Russian missiles.
While they regularly reaffirm their unwavering solidarity, many governments are faced with divided public opinion as the war drags on.
kyiv is all the more worried because the time of large aid packages from the United States – where a return to power by Donald Trump is not excluded – seems to be over.
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