Volodymyr Zelensky met with France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz late on Wednesday evening, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
It was part of the Ukrainian leader’s first European trip since Russia invaded his country almost a year ago, according to news outlets.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky made a surprise visit to London, meeting with the country’s leaders and calling on the UK to provide his country with combat aircraft.
Britain said it would train Ukrainian pilots on advanced NATO fighter jets.
Call for long-range weapons, fighter planes
After the talks at the Elysée Palace, Zelensky said: ““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.”
Meanwhile, both Macron and Scholz pledged continued support for Ukraine, the Reuters news agency reported.
The French president voiced firm support of Zelensky, stating that France would help Ukraine towards “victory, peace and Europe,” as well as “the re-establishment of its legitimate rights”.
Macron also said Paris would “continue the efforts” to supply arms to Kyiv, adding: “Russia cannot and must not win.”
The French head of state stressed that “the future of Europe” was at stake in Ukraine.
Germany’s Scholz said that Ukraine was part of the “European family”.
The chancellor stated that Germany and its partners had supported Ukraine “financially, with humanitarian aid and with weapons.”
Scholz vowed: “We will continue to do so as long as necessary.”
Zelensky’s visits to London and Paris on Wednesday came as Russia continued its intense attacks in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to Reuters.
The Ukrainian leader was to spend the night in Paris before travelling to Brussels on Thursday morning to attend a summit of the European Union.
Zelensky is expected to call on the European Council, made up of the 27 leaders of the EU’s member states, to accelerate weapons supplies to Ukraine, Britain’s The Guardian newspaper reported.
Thursday is day 351 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, Reuters, The Guardian