Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, as part of a European tour aimed at securing more Western support before the presidential election in the United States, an AFP correspondent said.
Zelensky is seeking a military and financial boost during a 48-hour trip to London, Paris, Rome and Berlin, amid fears of dwindling support if Donald Trump become US president next month.
Earlier Thursday Zelensky said he laid out his plan to defeat Russian forces as he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Ukraine is facing its toughest winter since the full-scale invasion started in February 2022, as Russia launches strikes on the country’s power grid and advances across the eastern frontline.
A planned meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Germany on Saturday was postponed after US President Joe Biden called off his visit to focus on the threat from Hurricane Milton.
The meeting with Macron, marking the fifth trip by Zelensky to Paris since the invasion, was set to reiterate French support for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.
The Elysee has said the talks with Zelensky will be an opportunity for Macron “to reaffirm France’s determination to continue to provide, over the long term and with all of its partners, unwavering support to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”
The talks come after Macron on Wednesday made a highly unusual visit to a military camp in eastern France, whose precise location was not disclosed, to meet part of a brigade of Ukrainian troops France is training.
The French army is training on French territory 2,300 soldiers from the brigade, named Anne of Kyiv, after the Kyiv-born princess who married the French 11th century King Henri I.
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