Emmanuel Macron was received by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this Thursday, June 16, in kyiv. A trip made alongside the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the President of the Italian Council, Mario Draghi.
French President Emmanuel Macron was welcomed on Thursday June 16 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in kyiv. With the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the President of the Italian Council, Mario Draghi, Emmanuel Macron began a joint visit to Ukraine with strong symbolism intended to show the unity of Europeans and their solidarity with kyiv almost four months after the start of the Russian invasion.
Emmanuel Macron meets in kyiv with President Volodimir Zelensky,
The delegation was received by Volodymyr Zelenky shortly after noon at the Mariinskyi Palace, the presidential residence. This is the first physical meeting with the Ukrainian president since the start of the conflict last February. A press conference is scheduled after the interview.
I would like the leaders not to devote themselves only to supporting Ukraine by bringing it more weapons
For its part, the Kremlin has made it known that it hopes that the visit of European leaders to Ukraine will not be devoted solely to arms deliveries but will rather aim “to push President Zelensky to adopt a realistic approach to the situation”. said its spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Thursday. “I would like the leaders (…) not to dedicate themselves only to supporting Ukraine by bringing it more weapons,” he told reporters. “It is absolutely unnecessary, it will prolong people’s suffering and cause further damage to the country.”
The delivery of new weapons to Ukraine is expected to be, together with Ukraine’s application for EU membership, one of the main topics on the agenda of the talks which began in mid- day between Volodymyr Zelensky, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Council President Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, in kyiv.
New British sanctions against Russia
Meanwhile, Britain announced it had sanctioned Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as part of a new wave sanctions against Russia. The Foreign Ministry says it has sanctioned Maria Lvova-Belova for the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children, while the Patriarch of Moscow is targeted for “his overt support for Russian military aggression in Ukraine “.
He adds that four senior military officials from a unit “known for killing, raping and torturing civilians” in the Ukrainian town of Boutcha have also been sanctioned. “We are targeting the accomplices and perpetrators of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war, who have caused untold suffering in Ukraine, including the forced transfer and adoption of children,” said the British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, in a statement. The government said the sanctions also targeted Putin’s allies, military commanders and Russian and British arms dealers.
