NewsWorldThis is how the dinner in Paris between Macron, Scholz and Zelenski was improvised

This is how the dinner in Paris between Macron, Scholz and Zelenski was improvised

For the Berlin Chancellery, such a degree of diplomatic improvisation is revolutionary. Olaf Scholz was already in the Reichstag building for his government statement before the plenary session of Parliament when he received the spontaneous invitation from Macron to travel to Paris that same afternoon. And according to diplomatic sources, it was not necessary to ask him twice. Macron had also sent the invitation to Zelensky on the fly and slipped the meeting between the visit to London and the visit to Brussels by the Ukrainian president. And the fact that he called Berlin is also a positive surprise, given the situation that bilateral relations have been going through recently. The Franco-German unit, which has not been any surprise, is what Zelensky was talking about with Scholz and Macron until almost one o’clock in the morning: he wants combat planes. «France and Germany can change the course. (…) The sooner we have long-range weapons and modern aircraft, the sooner Russia’s aggression will end”, were his words. Dressed in camouflage military clothing, Zelensky took the initiative in the conversation and prepared Scholz and Macron for the speech that he delivered this Thursday before the members of the European Parliament. Macron reminded him of his last visit to the Elysee, in December 2019. On that occasion, Zelensky negotiated with Putin in the so-called Normandy format, also until after midnight, without any result. Related news standard No United Kingdom does not rule out sending combat planes to Ukraine Ivannia Salazar “Freedom will win, we know that Russia is going to lose,” said the Ukrainian president. Angela Merkel was received by Macron for a private dinner that same week. It didn’t help much. Zelenski expressed his opinion in Le Figaro: the Normandy format was doomed to failure because it only proposed making concessions to Putin so that Paris and Berlin would “freeze” the conflict. Ukraine would not go through that. This time, he just landed at Orly airport shortly before 10:00 p.m. and on a British government plane, he was received by French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Already in the official car, on the way to the Elysee, he commented on his contradictory impressions of the excellence of illuminated Paris compared to the images of destruction and death of his day-to-day life in Ukraine. And he was barely before Macron and Scholz, he thanked the open door for the deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks by Germany and the support for Ukraine’s candidacy to enter the EU, “but regretted the slowness of the process. “Until victory, peace and Europe”, France will support Ukraine, Macron told him. Scholz did not adopt the expression “until victory.” “We stay close to the Ukrainian side for as long as it takes,” the German chancellor said. After midnight, there was still time for Macron to award him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, the highest degree that foreign heads of state can receive. Germany, the country that sends the most support Scholz’s team later announced that he wanted to send a “signal of solidarity and unity” by supporting Ukraine. The spokesmen insist that, within the EU, Germany is the country that provides the most support to Ukraine, including militarily. And upon his arrival in Brussels, early in the morning, Scholz has assured that Germany will support the delivery of combat tanks as quickly as possible. “Germany is making a key contribution to ensuring that we provide rapid support, as in the past,” he said, noting that efforts are being made to ensure that other countries that have registered a share in this support “really follow this finger.” pointer”. On January 25, the German government announced that it would deliver 14 Leopard 2A6s to Ukraine, after Poland applied for delivery permits for older Leopard 2A4s. Both states thus take a first step which, with the participation of other partners, should lead to the formation of two Ukrainian Leopard battalions. “This is necessary so that Ukraine can defend itself,” he has insisted, but no trace in his words of possible deliveries of combat aircraft.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Posts

Read More
More