On the left, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz travel by train to Kyiv after leaving Poland on June 16th.
The leaders of the three largest countries in the European Union – France, Germany and Italy – arrived in Kyiv on Thursday morning on a high-profile trip designed to defuse tensions over what Ukrainian authorities see as lukewarm support in their fight against Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi traveled by special train to the city, departing from Poland in the middle of the night.
As if to remind them that they were visiting a country terrorized by an unprovoked attack, the air raid sirens sounded shortly after the three leaders arrived at their hotel in downtown Kyiv.
Although all three countries have promised weapons to help defend Ukraine against Russia, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky makes no secret of the fact that he believes they are not doing enough.
He is particularly critical of Scholz and Macron, to the point that the two leaders are trying to reassure Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“[Scholz] and his government must choose not to strike a balance between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but to choose what is their priority, “Zelensky told German television station ZDF earlier this week.
Zelenski also had harsh words about Macron. The French president tried to present himself as both an ally of Ukraine and an honest mediator with Russia.
Macron, in an interview earlier this month, said that “we should not humiliate Russia so that on the day when the fighting stops, we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means. I am convinced that France’s role is to be a mediating power. “
Zelenski told the Financial Times that “to be a leader, you don’t have to think of yourself as one, but act like a leader.”
Speaking to reporters at the Kyiv train station, Macron said the leaders would visit a “military site where massacres took place” and talk to Zelensky.
Asked if there was a message for Ukrainians, he said: “A message of European unity to Ukrainian men and women to support talking about both the present and the future, because the coming weeks, we know, will be very difficult. I want to be in their support as well. “
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