The Ukrainian president has been making the rounds of European capitals in search of aid, while the Russian army is gaining ground and Donald Trump could be reelected to the White House. But, in Europe, a certain weariness is setting in.
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No big announcement, just a minimalist declaration in the courtyard of the Elysée, as Emmanuel Macron escorted Volodymyr Zelensky back to his car between two rain showers. And yet, the Ukrainian president’s visit to Paris on Thursday, October 10, as part of a mini-tour of Europe, comes at a critical time for Ukraine in its war against the Russian invader.
Zelensky came to hammer home his demands for more support from his allies, at a time when Russian troops are advancing in the east of the country, and less than four weeks before the American election, which could be a turning point in the conflict. Republican candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the aid given to Kyiv by the Biden administration, and claims he would be able to settle the conflict in 24 hours. A prospect feared both in Kyiv and in European capitals.
In Paris, as in London on Thursday morning, in Rome in the evening, then in Berlin on Friday, Zelensky came to present his “victory plan,” as he had done on September 26 in Washington with President Joe Biden. The document, which has not been made public, is designed, according to the Ukrainians, as a further attempt to mobilize Western military, economic and diplomatic support. The aim is to reverse the balance of power, currently in favor of the Russians, and force Vladimir Putin to enter into negotiations one day.
Ceasefire ‘not the topic’
Before any discussion, the Ukrainians are demanding guarantees of effective security, ideally through NATO membership – a demand long rejected by Washington and Berlin, while the UK and France are more open to the idea. While both sides are struggling to project themselves beyond the American election, Zelensky assured the press that a ceasefire “is not the topic of our discussions.” In the courtyard of the Elysée Palace, he even attributed the speculation on the subject, which had appeared in the Italian press on Thursday, to Russian “media disinformation.”
The tour itself has not been without serious setbacks. On Saturday, Zelensky was due in Germany to take part in a meeting in the presence of Biden of the so-called Ramstein format, the keystone of Western arms supplies to Kyiv. This hitherto US-led body is to be placed under NATO umbrella to avoid being held hostage by a possible Trump administration. But the meeting was postponed, the American president having chosen to remain in his country to deal with the consequences of Hurricane Milton.
A summit of American, French, British and German leaders was also due to take place in Berlin, but was canceled for the same reasons. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in addition to the flare-up in the Middle East. “The Americans really want to make progress on military and economic support, reconstruction, and even start asking themselves what the day after the war will be like,” observed a diplomatic source.
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