A delegation from the European Union arrived in Ukraine on Thursday (16) to speak personally with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Among the officials are German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who represent the EU’s three largest economies.
During his arrival, Macron said that the visit signals “a message of unity” and aims to “guarantee solidarity and continuity of support for Ukraine”. However, members of the Ukrainian government expressed fears that the three leaders could use the trip to push for a peace deal favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The German chancellor also showed support for Ukraine during the visit and said that the Germans will continue to help resist the German offensive “for as long as it takes”, according to Portugal’s public news agency RTP. “We want to ensure that we are organizing financial, humanitarian aid, but also on the issue of weapons,” he added.
According to Deutsche Welle, the leaders arrived on an overnight train from Poland to Kiev and were met with air raid sirens in the Ukrainian capital as Russia continues its offensive across the country. The visitors met with the Ukrainian president this morning and also visited Irpin, a town a few kilometers from the capital that was the scene of several violent fighting.
The visit comes a week before the EU summit, where European leaders are expected to discuss further Ukraine’s desire to join the 27-nation bloc. The theme has already been evaluated by the members before and is seen with suspicion by several members of the group.
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