Volodymyr Zelensky is increasing his diplomatic meetings in the run-up to Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, which is raising fears of a drop in American aid to Kyiv.
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Senior United Nations officials met with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss boosting humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
This visit comes as the UN launched a humanitarian appeal for 3.32 billion dollars (3.22 billion euros) to help more than eight million people affected by the war.
In a statement, the United Nations said the funds were intended to “support critical assistance” for approximately six million people living in Ukraine as well as helping the governments of 11 countries hosting Ukrainian refugees.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher was part of the delegation to Kyiv, as was UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi .
“This is the first time we have made a joint visit and it is a sign of our solidarity as a United Nations family”said Tom Fletcher. “We have been at your side since the start of this war and we are here to demonstrate this solidarity”.
Future security for Ukraine
Earlier today, Volodymyr Zelensky refused to comment on the “future security” of his country a few days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States.
“It is too early to talk about details, because we have not yet had a detailed conversation with the new US administration on security guarantees”he said during a joint press briefing with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Keir Starmer arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday pledging to help ensure the country’s security for a century.
The two leaders signed in Kyiv a “100-year partnership” treaty covering areas such as defence, science, energy and trade.
Keir Starmer’s surprise visit is his first trip to Ukraine since taking office in July. The British leader also promised that the United Kingdom “would play his role” to guarantee the security of Ukraine after the war.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Keir Starmer would also have discussed the idea launched by French President Emmanuel Macron of a deployment of Western forces to monitor a future ceasefirebut the Ukrainian president believes that it is “a little too early to talk about details”.
The British leader left the door open for UK participation, adding that “If Russia succeeds in its aggression, it will impact all of us for a long, long time”.
Italian defense chief Guido Crosetto was also in Kyiv on Thursday, two days after German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited and three days after Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron.
This renewed diplomatic activity comes at the approach of Donald Trump’s inauguration at the White House on Monday, which is raising fears of a drop in American aid to Ukraine.
During his election campaign, the next American president criticized the amount of military and humanitarian aid sent by Washington to Kyiv and declared that he could end the war “in one day”without giving further details.
