Paris (EFE).- The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, arrived in France this Sunday to hold a working dinner with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, as part of a mini European tour.
Zelensky landed at the Villacoublay air base, near Paris, aboard an official French plane. He was received by the French Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, and from there he embarked on a convoy of official vehicles on his way to the Élysée Palace.
The discussion with Macron will focus “on the support that France continues to provide in support of Ukraine’s urgent needs, both on a military and humanitarian level,” the Elysée said in a statement.
He added that the two presidents will discuss “the longer-term prospects for the return of peace in Europe,” especially on the basis of the peace plan presented by Zelensky, which continues to have the support of France.
Zelensky arrived after a mini tour that has taken him this weekend through Italy, the Vatican and Germany, at a time when the start of a counter-offensive by Ukrainian troops is expected.
Zelensky will spend the night in Paris
In Berlin, Zelensky said today that his country is “almost ready” to win the planned counteroffensive by his troops. “We are motivated and I think we are almost ready for that victory,” he said at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
And in Aachen he received the Charlemagne Prize. On Saturday, he was in Rome to meet with the Italian government and with Pope Francis.
This is Zelensky’s second visit to France since the Russian invasion of his country in February 2022.
The first took place on February 8, when the Ukrainian president arrived from the United Kingdom to participate in a tripartite meeting with Macron and Scholz at the Élysée.
Local media indicated that Zelenski will spend the night in Paris and will travel tomorrow, Monday, although without specifying whether he will return to his country.
In an interview with the newspaper L’Opinion, Macron insisted that “Russia must not win the war”, so it is necessary to continue providing military aid to kyiv.
However, he insisted on his well-known position that after the conflict Europe will need to build a new security architecture that “builds sustainable balances”, with guarantees for Ukraine’s security but at the same time without seeking confrontation with Russia.