EEmmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Mario Draghi arrived in kyiv on Thursday, a first for the three European leaders since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as the European Union must decide next week whether to grant the Ukraine the official status of candidate to the European Union.
Arrived at kyiv station after nearly ten hours by train from south-eastern Poland, the French president, who holds the rotating presidency of the European Union until June 30, said on the platform that the leaders were come to send “a message of European unity” and “support” to kyiv “both for the present and for the future”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told him that the visit was intended “not only to show our solidarity” but also to “ensure that the aid that we organise, financial, humanitarian, but also when it comes to arms, will continue (…) as long as necessary for the struggle for the independence of Ukraine”, in an interview with the daily Bild published on his arrival in kyiv.
Like other European leaders who came to kyiv before them, the trio – joined by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who arrived separately – was to go in the morning “to a war site where massacres were committed”, according to the French president. .
Hundreds of civilians were killed in the towns of Irpin, Boutcha and Borodianka, during the Russian occupation of the outskirts of kyiv in March. International investigations are underway to determine the culprits for these war crimes of which the Ukrainians accuse the Russian forces.
Although kyiv has come back to life since the Russian withdrawal from the region, it is still occasionally hit by Russian fire. Warning sirens sound there regularly, as was the case shortly after the arrival of European leaders.
“Clear political signals”
The latter were then to have talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where the question of Ukraine’s accession to the EU should be central. Mr. Zelensky insists that his country, by defending “the values” of Europe in the face of Russian aggression, has won the right to join the European Union, which the EU refused to consider before the start of the Russian invasion.
The Twenty-Seven must first decide, during a summit on June 23-24, whether they will initially grant Ukraine the official status of candidate for membership, the start of a process of negotiations which will can last for years. The European Commission is due to make its recommendation known on Friday.
Emmanuel Macron stressed on Wednesday, from neighboring Romania, the need to send “clear political signals” to Ukrainians in an “unprecedented geopolitical situation”.
Among the 27, the countries of Eastern Europe support this candidacy, but others such as Denmark or the Netherlands have expressed reservations. Any decision requires unanimity.
Ukraine could obtain candidate status with conditions or a date for the opening of negotiations, according to some experts.
France says it is “open” to this candidacy, but proposes the creation of a European political community which would make it possible to anchor Ukraine more quickly in Europe, by associating it with concrete projects of defence, energy or infrastructure, without waiting for membership.
Ukraine has remained very reserved so far on this proposal, fearing that its aspiration to join the EU will be postponed if not indefinitely.
The Ukrainian president should also reiterate his request for the acceleration of deliveries of heavy weapons, essential to repel the Russian invader, according to him.
“Ukraine must obtain everything necessary to achieve victory,” he insisted on Wednesday to Czech MPs.
New US military aid
The visit comes as Ukrainian forces struggle in Donbass, a region in eastern Ukraine partially controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014 and which Moscow has set itself “the goal of controlling in full.
The United States announced on Wednesday a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine of one billion dollars, which includes in particular artillery pieces and additional shells.
“I want to express my gratitude for this support, it is particularly important for our defense in the Donbass”, reacted Mr. Zelensky in his daily video message.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin also called on his allies on Wednesday to “intensify” arms deliveries to the Ukrainians.
“Ukraine is facing a pivotal moment on the battlefield,” he said during a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels of the countries of the “contact group” created by the United States. to help Ukraine, in the presence of the Ukrainian Defense Minister. “We must therefore intensify our common commitment” and “redouble our efforts so that it can defend itself”, he added.
Mr. Zelensky also spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who assured on Twitter to support Ukraine “until the final victory”.
The fighting has been concentrated for several weeks on Severodonetsk and Lyssytchansk, two key neighboring cities for the control of Donbass, subjected to constant bombardments and most of whose infrastructure no longer exists.
The Ukrainian authorities have admitted in recent days that their troops have been driven out of downtown Severodonetsk, and only have “complicated communication channels” with them after the destruction of all the bridges to Lysytchansk.
The Ukrainian forces are notably entrenched in the Azot chemical plant, emblematic of this city with some 100,000 inhabitants before the war, with more than 500 civilians inside, according to the mayor of Severodonetsk Oleksandre Striouk.
Moscow proposed on Tuesday a “humanitarian corridor” which would allow the evacuation of these civilians to territories controlled by the Russians, before accusing kyiv on Wednesday of having “failed” the operation.
In total, some 10,000 civilians are still present in Severodonetsk, Serguiï Gaïdaï, the governor of the Lugansk region, said Thursday.
“For nearly four months, they (the Russians) have dreamed of controlling Severodonetsk where, out of 100,000 inhabitants, around 10,000 are still there, not counting the victims,” he said on Telegram messaging.
According to him, “the Russian army loses hundreds of fighters, but finds reserves and continues to destroy Severodonetsk”. But “our soldiers hold the defense,” he said.
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16/06/2022 10:23:06 – Kiev (Ukraine) (AFP) – © 2022 AFP