French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled together on Thursday morning from Paris to attend an EU government summit in Brussels.
According to reports from the Elysee Palace, the two presidents were scheduled to take off at Villacoublay, near Paris, at around 08:30 am (0730 GMT). They arrived in Brussels at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).
Currently embarking on a surprise tour of Europe, Ukrainian President Zelensky is leaving his country for the second time since the beginning of the Russian offensive on February 24, 2022.
In December, Zelensky traveled to Washington to meet with officials of the United States government.
He arrived in London yesterday Wednesday to meet with the UK government before heading over to Paris, where he met with President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Elysee Palace.
At Paris, Zelensky urged both the German and French leaders to supply Ukraine with fighter aircraft “as soon as possible” in order to push back the Russian invasion in his country.
Scholz and Macron pledged their countries’ continued support for Ukraine in this period, for “as long as necessary” until “victory”.
Also, President Macron presented Zelensky with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, the highest honor a French president can bestow on another head of state.
At the EU summit in Brussels, Zelensky called on fellow EU leaders to supply Ukraine with weapons faster, before Russia can gather its forces and make fresh attacks.
“We have to enhance the dynamics of our cooperation, we have to do it faster than the aggressor,” Zelensky told his European counterparts.
The Ukrainian leader told the European Parliament that his country’s troops fighting Russian forces “are defending you”, as he called for more EU military support.
According to him, Europe is not free if Ukraine is not free. “Free Europe cannot be imagined without a free Ukraine,” he said. “Europe is free, Europe will be free and Europe is united.”
“Europe should not have gray zones, our whole continent should be open to European destiny,” Zelensky told the 27 national EU leaders.
Zelensky went on to thank the EU leaders for backing Kyiv in the fight against Russia’s invasion which will soon clock one year.
“I have to thank you personally for your unwavering support of our country and our aspirations, our aspirations to live in a united, free Europe,” Zelensky said.
The EU parliament agreed with the Ukrainian leader and urged European heads of state to continue to offer military assistance to Ukraine.
“Ukraine is Europe and your nation’s future is in the European Union,” EU parliament president Roberta Metsola said in her speech.
“You need to win and now (EU) member states must consider, quickly, as a next step, providing long-range systems and the jets you need to protect the liberty too many have taken for granted.”
