Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Paris on Wednesday, asking Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz to provide fighter jets. Before that, Zelenskyyy secured a promise from the UK to train Ukrainian pilots to work on advanced NATO fighters.
On his second trip abroad since the start of the war, Zelenskyy met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III in London before flying to France.
In Paris, the Ukrainian President met with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Both promised Zelenskyyy continued support for Ukraine ahead of Wednesday evening’s discussion of Kiev’s needs.
“We have very little time. I am now talking about the weapons necessary for peace and an end to the war started by Russia,” Zelenskyyy said. – France and Germany have the opportunity to change the rules of the game, and that is how I see our negotiations today. The sooner we have long-range heavy weapons and the sooner our pilots have modern aircraft, the sooner Russian aggression will end.
Europe and the United States will support Ukraine in its war against Russia for as long as it takes, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, adding that Ukraine belongs to the European family.
Speaking in Paris, Scholz said German and French leaders at the EU summit on Thursday would send a strong signal of solidarity with Kiev.
“I send a clear message to Brussels: Ukraine belongs to the European family,” Scholz said.
France is “determined to help Ukraine win and restore its legitimate rights”, Macron said before a late dinner with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , adding that Paris would “continue its efforts” to deliver weapons to Kiev.
In his speech to British lawmakers, Zelenskyyy also underlined his call for the transfer of fighter jets to Kiev, which he called “wings of freedom”. Western countries have not yet supplied planes or weapons with which the Ukrainian armed forces could strike into the depths of Russia.
In a joint press conference with Zelenskyyy, Rishi Sunak said “nothing is ruled out” when it comes to delivering fighter jets to Ukraine to fight Russia.
“The first step towards the transfer of advanced aircraft is the availability of military personnel or pilots capable of using them. It is a process that takes some time. We started this process today,” Sunak said.
The Russian Embassy in the UK has warned London against sending fighter jets to Ukraine, saying such a move would have global repercussions, TASS news agency reported.
The UK has announced its intention to expand the Ukrainian army’s training program so that its pilots can fly modern jets that meet NATO standards.
The announcement did not specify a time frame and there was no obligation to supply British aircraft to Kiev. But it marked a shift that could pave the way for other countries to send fighter jets to Kiev.
Zelenskyy ‘s trip to Europe, which will also take part in Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels, follows the Ukrainian president’s surprise visit to Washington in December.
The UK announced the addition of new names to the sanctions list, along with plans to supply Kiev with military equipment, including unnamed longer-range weapons.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Western allies could deliver the first batch of around 31 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in the coming months.
Ukraine has long asserted the need for Western fighters. President Joe Biden said in January that Washington would not transfer American F-16s to Ukraine, and British officials said it had taken too long to get their fighters under control. France and Poland are among the countries that have allowed the possibility of sending their planes as part of a collective decision by the West.
The United States is expected to announce a new $2 billion weapons package in the coming days that will include missiles with twice the range of previously transferred missiles. Thus, all Russian supply lines on the Ukrainian mainland, as well as part of the Crimea annexed by Russia, will be within reach of Ukrainian firepower.
