The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania walked amid the ruins of the Ukrainian city of Irpin on the outskirts of the capital on Thursday in a show of support that the government in Kiev hopes will be followed by action. concrete in the war against Russia.
Irpin, which had a population of 62,000 before the start of the conflict, was one of the focal points of combat before Russian troops retreated from the region and concentrated in eastern Ukraine.
Next to destroyed buildings, the presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and the premiers of Germany, Olaf Scholz, and Italy, Mario Draghi, listened to a Ukrainian official tell what had happened there – Ukraine says it had there have been large-scale atrocities, which Moscow denies. “It is a heroic city, marked by the stigma of barbarism,” the French president told reporters.
The leaders, dressed in suits and with no visible safety equipment, were surrounded by soldiers. The visit comes at a time of tension as Kiev accuses France, Germany and, to a lesser extent, Italy of lowering the level of aid to Ukraine, saying European countries have been slow to deliver weapons for fear of bankruptcy. of ties with Moscow, mainly due to the energy sector.
Asked about the criticism, Macron was evasive and cited the shipment of weapons and financial aid given to Kiev. “France and Europe have always been on the side of Ukraine and its people from the beginning.”
Seeing graffiti on the wall of a destroyed building in Irpin that reads “make Europe, not war”, the head of the Élysée Palace said the slogan was touching. “That’s the correct message.”
The Ukrainian application to join the European Union (EU) and the demand for more weapons to fight Russia are expected to be the two main topics of the conversation scheduled to take place later on Thursday between the leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky, who did not follow along. the visit to Irpin.
On Friday, the executive arm of the European bloc should propose that the country, now invaded by Vladimir Putin’s troops, formalize its candidacy for the club, according to diplomats and officials. The move would be a major political gesture for the country, but it also generates divisions among EU leaders.
“A balance has to be found between Ukraine’s natural aspirations to enter the EU at a very special time and the attention given to all countries that already have candidate status and are stuck on the negotiating side,” said an official from the French government.
Oleksi Arestovich, an adviser to Zelensky, this week expressed concern that European leaders could pressure Kiev to accept a pro-Russian peace deal. Commenting on this issue, Draghi, Italy’s premier, said the most important thing is that negotiations are opened as soon as possible, adding that the dialogue must be “on terms acceptable to Ukraine”.
Kiev has been particularly critical of Germany’s military aid, and the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin, Andrij Melnik, told German broadcaster NTV that he hoped Scholz would finally deliver promised heavy weapons. The prime minister, for his part, denies accusations that he withheld military support, saying his country was one of Ukraine’s biggest aid providers. The delay, he says, is due to the training necessary for Ukrainian soldiers to be able to use the artillery systems offered.
