French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Russian “barbarism” during his visit to the city of Irpin, on the outskirts of kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. The president moved there this Thursday, June 16, together with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi. The European leaders also met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged his Western allies for more arms aid to deal with the war launched by Moscow on February 24.
The political leaders of France, Germany and Italy traveled to Ukraine this Thursday, June 16, marking the 113th day of the war.
French President Emmanuel Macron described Irpin as a “heroic city, marked by the stigmas of barbarism”, located on the outskirts of kyiv and whose streets he walked with the German Chancellor, Olaf Sholz, and the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi.
The joint show of support for kyiv comes as Russian troops launch fresh attacks and say they are gaining new territory, while Ukraine urges its Western allies for more rapid arms deliveries to stop the invasion.
These are the main news of the day:
- 07:54 (BOG) At least three civilians killed by Russian attack in Lysychansk
Lugansk Regional Governor Serhiy Gaidai said an airstrike on a building housing civilians in the besieged city of Lysychansk killed at least three people and wounded seven.
“We are separating the rubble,” the official said of the ongoing rescue operations.
Lysychansk lies just across the Siverskyi Donets River from Severodonetsk, which in recent weeks has seen some of the most brutal street fighting seen during the war. Moscow’s troops intend to completely take over that area, which would give them a victory in the self-proclaimed republic of Lugansk, where they now control vast territories.
- 6:58 (BOG) Macron and Zelensky meet in person for the first time since the war began
The French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, met in kyiv with the Ukrainian president Volodímir Zelenski on his return from his visit to Irpin together with the German chancellor, Olaf Sholz, and the Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi.
This was the first time Macron and Zelensky had met in person since Russia launched the conflict on February 24.
“We appreciate your solidarity with our country and our people,” Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
⚡️Zelensky meets German, French, Italian, Romanian leaders in Kyiv.
Zelensky’s meeting with Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Mario Draghi, and Klaus Iohannis started after the four visited Irpin, a town that had been devastated by Russia’s war, on June 16.
📷 President’s Office pic.twitter.com/nVsh0CVJfT
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 16, 2022
In addition to arms aid, the leaders are scheduled to discuss Ukraine’s proposal to join the European Union during the official trip.
This issue is another of Moscow’s strong reluctance, but it has obtained greater support from the bloc of 27 countries, unlike what happened with kyiv’s intention to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
- 6:29 (BOG) Russia calls European leaders’ visit to Ukraine “useless”
While Moscow continues to deal heavy military and territorial blows to Ukraine, it is denied that the invaded country receives any aid in arms. In the last few hours, the Kremlin has again shown defiance in the face of any new attempt to reinforce the Ukrainian defenses.
“I hope that the leaders … will not focus only on supporting Ukraine by further injecting it with weapons … That is absolutely useless, it will prolong the suffering of the people and cause new damage to the country,” said the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitry Peskov, referring to the visit of European leaders to Ukrainian soil.
But more arms aid is precisely one of Zelensky’s main requests for his Western allies. Europe and the United States have supplied Zelensky’s army with billions of dollars in military equipment since the start of the conflict, but kyiv is pressing for heavier, longer-range weapons in a bid to thwart the Russian advance.
- 6:01 (BOG) Macron speaks of “war crimes” after visiting Irpin
Shortly after their arrival in kyiv, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy traveled to Irpin, eight kilometers northeast of the Ukrainian capital, where the French president said that massacres and war crimes have been committed, in the midst of the siege by Russian troops.
“It is a heroic city, marked by the stigmas of barbarism,” said Emmanuel Macron.
For his part, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz referred to what was observed on the spot as Russia’s “unimaginable cruelty” in Ukraine, which must end.
Scholz recalled that similar scenes of terror were experienced by the residents of Bucha, another hard-hit town that stopped the advance of Vladimir Putin’s troops to kyiv, a city that the foreign military tried to take in the first weeks of the conflict.
- 5:38 (BOG) Macron, Sholz and Draghi arrive in kyiv to deliver a “message of union” in Europe
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi have arrived in kyiv, after traveling on a train from Poland.
Upon their arrival in the Ukrainian capital, they were greeted amid the sound of anti-aircraft sirens as Russian troops continue to attack targets across the country.
Macron told the press that the European leaders’ visit is a message of “unity and support” for the Ukrainians, stressing that the coming weeks will be very difficult.
“We are here, focused, and we are about to meet with President Zelensky. Now we are going to visit a war site where massacres have been committed and then we will have talks that are scheduled with President Zelensky, “said Macron upon his arrival.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who also arrived in the country on Thursday, joined them for talks with the Ukrainian head of state.
With Reuters, AP and local media
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