This is a big first. Following his surprise visit to London, Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Paris this Wednesday evening. Emmanuel Macron will welcome his Ukrainian counterpart in the presence, also, of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, announced the Élysée. The three leaders will meet over dinner at the presidential palace, a source familiar with the matter told AFP.
The Ukrainian president will arrive from London, where he has been since Wednesday morning, for his second trip abroad since the start of the war in his country almost a year ago. Volodymyr Zelensky is then expected Thursday in Brussels for a summit of the European Union, even if his presence has not been officially confirmed.
Mini-tour
This European mini-tour comes as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches, on February 24, 2022. In December, he was welcomed as a hero in the United States, which is by far the largest supplier of arms in kyiv to help it resist the Russian army.
The spokesperson for Olaf Scholz confirmed to AFP the chancellor’s participation in the Parisian dinner. “We are leaving today for Paris, to meet Zelensky with Macron. From there we will continue the journey to Brussels”, said Steffen Hebestreit.