Vladimir Zelensky has completed his unexpected tour of European capitals. It can rightly be considered a significant step towards building a new security architecture in Europe and the world, where Ukraine will play one of the key roles.
The visit to the European Parliament at the invitation of European Council President Charles Michel was Zelensky's only visit that the media wrote about in advance. Already in the capital of the EU, Zelensky addressed the European parliamentarians. However, it seems that this speech has become symbolic, because personal meetings with the leaders of the allied countries are of much more practical importance.Channel 24analyzed why the European tour was important right now and how it will affect the further course of the war .
One of the main achievements of Volodymyr Zelensky's tour was precisely the demonstration of European unity in support of Ukraine. Powerful statements by European leaders and institutions, as well as Ukraine's main allies, demonstrate that there can be no compromises with Russia, and the ghostly “weariness” from the war is nothing more than simple manipulation and myth.
Obviously, the war is dragging on, and Europe is gradually getting used to it. At the same time, the current Russian regime threatens not only Ukraine, but also Europe. And Brussels finally began to understand this.At the same time, the purpose of the President's trip can be called the formation of a common strategy with Europe.
What Zelensky negotiated with Macron and Scholz in Paris
Judging by the words of Volodymyr Zelensky himself, the visit to Paris was a “spontaneous idea” of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz. Obviously, no one planned a trip to the French capital in advance, but despite this, it nevertheless took place and was quite successful and timely, giventhe president's goal – to attract as much military support as possible for Ukraine and unblock the supply of fighter jets and long-range missiles.< /strong>
Meeting of Zelensky, Scholz and Macron in Paris/Photo by Le Monde
At a meeting with the leaders of France and Germany, Zelensky said that these two countries have the potential to turn the tide at the front and ensure Russia's defeat in the war. First of all, we are talking about Western fighters, a topic that was also raised at a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Aircraft are an important component for a successful counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories and have a direct impact on the end of the war. Actually, this is the President of Ukraine once again emphasized in Paris.
The sooner Ukraine can get powerful long-range weapons … the sooner our pilots can get modern aircraft, the sooner this Russian aggression will end and we will return confident peace to Europe,” Volodymyr Zelensky said
Note! So far, no one gives a clear answer to this idea. At the same time, indirect signs, such as the training of Ukrainian pilots and the hype around this topic in the media and Western political circles, allow us to conclude that the first deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine will take place soon.
This is also being said and statements by Macron and Scholz at a meeting in Paris.Both spoke very confidently about the defeat of Russia. The leaders of Germany and France promised to support Ukraine in all directions for as long as necessary, and also openly declared that Russia cannot be allowed to win this war.
The crime of aggression cannot be accepted under any circumstances. Especially from a state like Russia. That is why we are side by side with Ukraine. We are determined to support Ukraine until victory and the restoration of its legitimate rights, said Emmanuel Macron.
Ukraine is preparing for a likely Russian offensive
The activity of the President of Ukraine, in particular, is due to the fact that Russia is preparing a new powerful offensive against Ukraine. Despite the fact that the Russians have certain limited resources, they can still involve a large number of people in the war and still push through the defense lines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with huge losses.Ukraine needs increased supplies right now, which Zelensky also emphasized during a meeting in Paris.We all have very little time. And this, by the way, I'm not talking about today, but about the weeks, months that we have ahead of us, and therefore, this is about weapons that the world needs. Because it is necessary to stop the war that Russia unleashed,” said Vladimir Zelensky.
Instead,Olaf Scholz hastened to justify himself.He said that of the European states, Germany provides the largest amount of military assistance to Ukraine, and there are no delays in terms of delivery times.Scholz assured that Germany is doing everything possible to ensure that new equipment reaches the front as quickly as possible. In particular, they talked about Leopard tanks, which the Germans are preparing to send to Ukraine.
Vladimir Zelensky and Rishi Sunak in London/Photo by The Times
At the same time, despite the fact that the tanks have not yet reached Ukraine, and the issue of aircraft deliveries is still shrouded in fog, the Kremlin is starting to get nervous. The speaker of the Russian dictatorDmitry Peskov hastened to threaten the Europeans for the possible supply of fighter jets for Ukraine. At the same time, he immediately emphasized that this allegedly would not change the situation at the front.
We perceive this as nothing more than the growing involvement of Great Britain, Germany, France in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The line between indirect and direct involvement is gradually disappearing,” Peskov said.
The Kremlin’s threats have already become a tradition, because they are heard every time the West announces the possibility of new arms supplies to Ukraine. At the same time, Western countries are taking them less and less seriously, because Russia only loudly threatens, while never taking real action.
Europe is not going to put up with Russian aggression and will do everything possible to defeat Ukraine. It was to confirm its solidarity with our country that official Brussels invited the President of Ukraine to address the European Parliament.
Loud speech in the European Parliament: hear now
Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Brussels early in the morning and addressed the European Parliament. The European deputies greeted the President of Ukraine with a standing ovation, and the flags of Ukraine were visible not only on the official podium, but also in the hands of the European parliamentarians.The event began with a powerful speech by the head of parliament, Roberta Metsola. She emphasized that the future of Ukraine lies in the European Union, and also emphasized the importance of expanding the supply of weapons for Ukraine.
You need to win, and now the member countries ( The EU) should quickly consider providing the long-range systems and jets needed to protect your freedom as the next step,” said Roberta Metsola.
The speech of the President of Ukraine began with gratitude to the European community for the principled position and broad support for Ukraine from the EU member states. Zelensky stressed thatfor Ukraine, the European way of life and the path to the EU is the way home. And it is precisely this desire of Ukraine that Russia is trying to destroy today.
Vladimir Zelensky speaks to the European Parliament/Photo AFP
Zelensky also stressed that Russia is deliberately destroying all humanistic values in order to continue the war against Ukraine and stressed thatRussia is trying to make the horrors of the 30s and 40s of the twentieth century normal.
All 140 million citizens in Russia are just bodies for the Kremlin to carry weapons to Ukraine. The rule of obedience and violence is the Russian way of life, “rules instead of law,” the President of Ukraine said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also addressed all citizens of the European Union. He stressed that the fate of Europe has never depended only on politicians and emphasized the importance of public opinion, which can influence the outcome of political decisions and, ultimately, Ukraine's victory in the war. In particular, the President of Ukraine thanked the Europeans for supporting Ukrainian refugees and all citizens of Ukraine.
The President also stressed the importance of the European Parliament's resolution on supporting the status of Ukraine as a candidate for EU membership and stressed that this was an additional motivation for Ukrainians to fight and stay on the European path. Zelensky is also confident that after the victory, Ukraine will become a full member of the European Union, which will benefit everyone – both Ukraine and the EU.
Why personal meetings are so important
Volodymyr Zelensk's speech was a very important part of his visit to Brussels. The President focused specifically on addressing European citizens, which is obviously an important element for increasing support for Ukraine in the societies of European states. However, the speech itself is more ceremonial, because the main purpose of such visits is always behind-the-scenes and personal meetings with the leaders of the EU member states.
It is known thatVladimir Zelensky met with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. Meloni has suddenly become a powerful supporter of Ukraine, even though her coalition in the Italian parliament includes pro-Russian politicians.
However, this does not prevent Italy from actively sending humanitarian and military support to Ukraine.Meloni was also not very happy about Zelensky's unplanned visit to Paris, however, apparently, her claim was directed specifically to the organizers of this visit – Macron and Scholz, who, instead of demonstrating the unity of Europe, once again tried to pull the blanket over themselves.
The transfer of the latest SAMP-T air defense system to Ukraine will be announced in the next few days. Meloni promised.
Pay attention!Zelensky also met, first of all, with those leaders who express a rather ambiguous position. Zelensky talked and tried to convince the leaders of Austria and Hungary of the impossibility of peace agreements with Russia, who until now expressed doubts about the advisability of military support for Ukraine and called for negotiations. But it seems that the leaders of these countries want to continue to hide behind “neutrality” in this matter.
To Poland for coffee. And not only
President Zelensky, returning from Brussels after participating in the EU summit, met with President Andrzej Duda in Rzeszow, Poland. As Marcin Przydacz, Head of the International Policy Department of the Office of the President of Poland, stressed, the meeting between the Presidents of Poland and Ukraine took place late on Thursday and lasted more than two hours.
The Presidents discussed the current situation at the front and the situation in the region, as well as the need for further joint efforts to provide military support to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.
In addition, Zelensky and Duda discussed the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius.
Zelensky can also insist on the creation the so-called “coalition of fighters”, by analogy with the “tank coalition”, which allowed to create powerful pressure on the supply of tanks and accelerated the adoption of this decision.
A similar idea has already been expressed by the Polish Ministry of Defense. Perhaps this was the main topic of conversation between the two leaders.
