Zelensky welcomes four European leaders
FOUR European leaders made a high-profile visit to show their support for Ukraine yesterday, denouncing the brutality of Russia’s invasion of the country as they surveyed the ruins of a town near Kyiv that was the scene of intense fighting early in the war and where many civilians were killed.
After arriving in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to the sound of air raid sirens, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania headed to Irpin, which was seized and briefly held by Russian troops, along with other areas near the capital.
Mass graves have been unearthed in the area, most notably in Bucha, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron decried the massacres and said there were signs of war crimes. He denounced the “barbarism” of the attacks that devastated Irpin, and praised the courage of its residents and others in the region who helped thwart Russia’s attempt to overrun the capital.
The visit, which included a planned meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, carried heavy symbolic weight, given that the three Western European powers have faced criticism for not providing Ukraine with the scale of weaponry that Mr Zelensky has been asking for.
They have also been criticised for not visiting Kyiv sooner. In past weeks and months, a number of other European leaders have made the long trip overland to show solidarity with a nation under attack, even in times when the fighting raged closer to the capital than it does now.
The French president’s office said that Mr Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italy’s Premier Mario Draghi, representing the three largest economies in the European Union, travelled to Kyiv together on a special overnight train provided by the Ukrainian authorities.
President Klaus Iohannis of Romania, which borders Ukraine and has been a key destination for Ukrainian refugees, arrived on a separate train. On arrival in Kyiv, he wrote on Twitter: “This illegal Russian aggression must stop!”
Russian forces are still pressing their offensive in the eastern Donbas region, slowly but steadily gaining ground on the badly outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces, who are pleading for more arms from Western allies.
Several air raid sirens rang out while the European leaders were in their hotel preparing for the rest of their visit, and Kyiv authorities urged people to seek shelter. Such alerts are a frequent occurrence. As he left the hotel, Mr Macron, putting his hand on his heart, said in English: “I want to show my admiration for the Ukrainian people.”
Mr Macron added: “It [this visit] is a message of European unity for the Ukrainian people, support now and in the future, because the weeks to come will be very difficult.”
Mr Scholz said that the EU leaders are seeking to show not only solidarity but also their intent to keep up financial and humanitarian help for Ukraine, and a supply of weapons.
Mr Scholz added that this support would continue “for as long as is necessary for Ukraine’s fight for independence”. He said that the sanctions against Russia were also significant and could lead to Moscow withdrawing its troops.
The visit came as EU leaders prepare to make a decision June 23-24 on Ukraine’s request to become a candidate for EU membership.