KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to attend an EU summit in Brussels Thursday as the guest of honour where he will press allies to deliver fighter jets “as soon as possible” in the war against Russia.
The Ukrainian president started a surprise tour of Europe on Wednesday with visits to Britain and France, marking just his second venture abroad since the Russian invasion almost one year ago.
His attendance at the EU summit in Brussels will be “a signal of European solidarity,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who met with Zelensky Wednesday in France. The visit to France — which appeared to have been squeezed in at the last minute — saw Zelensky hold a late dinner meeting with Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. Before that, he was in London for a ceremony-filled day, meeting with King Charles III and addressing parliament.
Despite the contrast in formats, the Ukrainian president’s demands were the same — more weapons, especially fighter jets and longer-range missiles, and faster deliveries. “The sooner Ukraine gets long-range heavy weaponry, the sooner our pilots get planes, the sooner this Russian aggression will end and we can return to peace in Europe,” Zelensky said in Paris. –Agencies
