- Weapons were needed to defend Russian advances in the south and east
- Ukrainian troops, civilians hiding in the Sievierodonetsk plant
Kyiv, June 16 (Reuters) – Leaders of Germany, France and Italy – all criticized in the past by Kyiv for overly cautious support – paid a joint visit to Ukraine on Thursday, touring a city devastated by Russia’s invasion .
“This is an important moment. It is a message of unity that we are sending to the Ukrainians,” said French President Emmanuel Macron after arriving in Kyiv on a night train with German Olaf Scholz and Italian Mario Draghi. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also joined.
The sirens of the airstrikes sounded as the visit began. They toured the ruins of Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv devastated by fighting at the beginning of the war, when Russian forces left the bodies of dirty civilians on the streets as they retreated.
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Pointing to a graffiti on a wall that said “Make Europe, not war,” Macron said, “It’s very emotional to see it. That’s the right message.”
The visit took weeks to organize, while the three most powerful EU leaders avoided criticism for positions described as too deferential with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The British Boris Johnson visited Kyiv more than two months ago.
However, the decision of the three to travel together was strongly symbolized at a crucial time: a day before the EU executive committee is expected to recommend moving forward with Ukraine’s commitment to join the bloc. , which is expected to be approved by EU leaders at a forthcoming summit. week.
NATO defense ministers were also meeting in Brussels and were expected to announce more promises of additional weapons for Kyiv. U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday pledged $ 1 billion in new aid, including anti-missile rocket systems, artillery rockets and shell rounds.
“Every day, I fight for Ukraine to get the weapons and equipment it needs,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address to the nation.
Ukraine applied to join the EU just four days after Russia invaded in February, and four more days later Moldova and Georgia also made apples.
“As of today, we are much closer to achieving this status than we could have dreamed of even a few years ago. Ukraine has done everything possible to become a candidate,” Zelenskiy said.
‘SAVE MR PUTIN’S FACE’
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis visit Irpin, Ukraine, on June 16, 2022. Ludovic Marin / Pool via REUTERS
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Scholz, Macron and Draghi say they are strong supporters of Ukraine who have taken important practical steps to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy and find weapons to help Kyiv.
But Ukraine has long criticized Scholz for its slow arms delivery to Germany and its reluctance to break economic ties with Moscow, and this month has been furious with Macron for saying in an interview that Russia does not it must be “humiliated.”
Italy has also proposed a peace plan, which Ukrainians fear could put pressure on them to relinquish territory.
“They will say that we must end the war that is causing food and economic problems … that we must save the face of Mr Putin,” Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told the German newspaper Bild before visit.
The German Defense Minister said that three multiple rocket launchers he had promised in Kyiv could be delivered in July or August, once the Ukrainians are trained to use them.
Kyiv says it urgently needs more weapons, especially artillery and rockets, to counter Russia’s firepower. Kyiv causes hundreds of casualties a day as the war has entered a phase of brutal attrition in the east.
After Moscow launched its “special military operation” claiming that its goal was to disarm and “de-sanitize” its neighbor, Ukraine repelled an armored assault on Kyiv in March.
Since then, however, Russia has changed both its objectives and tactics, now trying to fortify its territory to the east and south, and to take more with slow advances behind the massive artillery bombardment.
The main battle in recent weeks has been over the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk. On Wednesday, Ukrainian forces hid in a chemical factory there with hundreds of civilians ignoring Russia’s surrender order.
All remaining bridges linking the city with Ukrainian-controlled territory on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets River were destroyed in recent days, but Ukrainian officials say the garrison is not completely cut off.
Ukraine still has a pocket of territory in the wider and eastern Donbas region, which Russia has promised to capture on behalf of its separatist representatives. Most are on the opposite side of the river, which Russian troops have fought to cross.
In the south, Ukrainian forces have been making slow incursions into Kherson province, the largest strip of territory Russia still has in the areas it has captured since the invasion.
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Additional reports from Reuters offices; Written by Peter Graff, edited by Angus MacSwan
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