Keystone-SDA
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October 10, 2024 – 12:54
(Keystone-ATS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London on Thursday morning, the first stop on an express European tour of his main allies. He is looking for support, less than a month before the presidential election in the United States.
Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Downing Street. The two leaders hugged each other and warmly shook hands.
The United Kingdom has been one of kyiv’s main supporters since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The Ukrainian leader will also meet the new head of NATO Mark Rutte in London.
This European tour takes place while an important meeting of kyiv’s military partners scheduled for Saturday in Germany has been postponed and the Russian army continues its advance in eastern Ukraine.
It also comes a few weeks before the presidential election in the United States, the uncertain outcome of which raises fears in kyiv for the sustainability of essential American support.
After London, Volodymyr Zelensky will go to Paris, where he is due to meet in the afternoon with the French head of state Emmanuel Macron, according to the Elysée.
All-round
Mr. Zelensky will then go to Rome to speak in the evening with the head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni, then on Friday morning with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
He is finally expected the same day in Germany, where he should have participated on Saturday in a meeting on the defense of Ukraine finally postponed after American President Joe Biden canceled his trip due to Hurricane Milton which threatens Florida .
Mr. Zelensky will be received in Berlin by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose government plans to halve in 2025 the amount allocated to bilateral military aid intended for Ukraine, to the great displeasure of kyiv.
“Significant aid gap”
Volodymyr Zelensky should take advantage of his European tour to hammer home his demands in terms of military equipment.
The German research institute Kiel Institute warned on Thursday of a possible drop in Western aid to Ukraine.
“Starting next year, Ukraine could face a significant aid deficit,” writes the institute, which lists the military, financial and humanitarian aid promised and delivered to Ukraine.
The possible return of Donald Trump to the White House “could block future aid plans in Congress,” warns the institute.
According to the research institute’s projections, military and financial aid would amount to 59 and 54 billion euros respectively in 2025 if Western donors maintained their level of aid. Conversely, this aid would fall by half, to 29 and 27 billion euros, without new American aid and if European donors aligned with Germany.
President Zelensky, who has been visiting Western chancelleries for more than two and a half years, has deplored in recent weeks the slowness of his allies’ decision-making. The latter are still reluctant to deliver longer-range missiles for the Ukrainian army, which finds itself limited in striking depth at military targets on Russian territory.
In the meantime, Russian forces are gradually advancing in the Donetsk region towards Pokrovsk, a logistics hub for Ukrainian troops.
The Ukrainian head of state could discuss with the British, French, Italian and German leaders his “victory plan”, intended, according to him, to create the conditions for a “just end to the war”.
This plan, which remains rather vague at this stage, must be unveiled during a second peace summit, expected in November, but its dates have still not been confirmed by kyiv, casting doubt on its organization at this time. that moment.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who has repeated in recent days that he wants to “force” Moscow to sit at the negotiating table and accept kyiv’s conditions, said on Wednesday that his plan “can bridge the gap between the current situation and a peace summit successful “.
