AFP
France and Germany have the chance to be “game changers” within the conflict in opposition to Russia by not hesitating in delivering heavy weapons and trendy fighter jets to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated throughout a go to to Paris on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy arrived within the French capital for a dinner with chief Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after holding talks in Britain earlier within the day the place he urged his Western allies to present Ukraine “wings for freedom” by sending warplanes to assist flip the tide in opposition to Moscow.
He travels to Brussels on Thursday the place he’ll attend a European leaders summit.
“We have very little time. I’m talking now about the weapons needed for peace and to stop the war started by Russia,” Zelenskiy stated.
“France and Germany have the potential to be game changers and that’s how I see our talks today. The sooner we get heavy long range weapons and our pilots get modern planes… the quicker this Russian aggression will end.”
Western international locations have scaled up their pledges of army assist for Ukraine this 12 months with guarantees of a whole lot of tanks and armoured automobiles in addition to longer-range weapons, however have thus far refused to ship Western-made fight planes.
Macron stated operational issues could be mentioned in the course of the dinner, reiterated that Russia couldn’t be allowed to win the conflict and that Paris like Berlin would proceed to assist so long as needed the army assist Ukraine wanted to safe its future.
Ahead of Thursday’s assembly in Belgium, Scholz sought to emphasize Kyiv’s place in Europe.
“I am taking a clear message to Brussels: Ukraine belongs to the European family,” Scholz stated.
