Berlin [Germany]/ Paris [France], May 15: Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky will travel on from Germany to Paris on Sunday evening, the Élysee Palace has said, confirming a previously unannounced trip to France.
The Ukrainian leader will be received by French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner, the presidential office said, without giving an exact time for the meeting.
Zelensky's latest trip outside of Ukraine has taken him to Rome, Berlin and the western German city of Aachen, less than 400 kilometres north-east of Paris, where he received the prestigious Charlemagne prize on Sunday.
According to the Élysee Palace, the talks between Macron and Zelensky will focus on ongoing military and humanitarian support for Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian invasion. The long-term perspective of peace returning to Europe is also likely to be a topic.
This will be the Ukrainian leader's second visit to Paris since the beginning of Russia's all-out war last year, after meeting with Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the French capital in February. During that meeting, Zelensky had asked for further military assistance for his country. At the time Macron said that France was "determined to help Ukraine to victory."
During his visit to Berlin on Sunday, Zelensky thanked Germany for the support provided so far, while also asking for support regarding the delivery of fighter jets, a controversial issue among Kiev's Western allies.
During his talks with Scholz, Zelensky appealed for German support in securing modern combat jets, saying Ukraine was working on "creating a fighter jet coalition."
He said Russia currently had a preponderance of power in Ukraine's airspace, and that needed to change.
Scholz was non-committal, saying Germany had supplied Ukraine with a great deal of weapons and would continue to do. Berlin was "concentrating" on providing Ukraine with air defence systems, he said.
Before his visit to Germany, Zelensky had travelled to Rome, where he also met with Pope Francis.
Especially at the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine, Macron had attempted to mediate between the two parties to the conflict, time and again speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin while maintaining close contact with Zelensky.
Source: Qatar Tribune