Macron sends ‘message of European unity to the people of Ukraine’ in Kyiv

Kyiv, Jun 16 (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi wish to send “a message of European unity to the people of Ukraine” through their trip to the country, the French leader said after arriving in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday.

Macron, Scholz and Draghi arrived in Kyiv in the morning to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom they will discuss the war against Russia and Ukraine’s desire to join the European Union.

The trip is to send “a message of European unity to the Ukrainian men and women, of support,” said Macron on the platform after disembarking, adding that they would “talk both about the present and the future, because we know the coming weeks are going to be very hard.”

The three leaders arrived at a station packed with Ukrainian soldiers and a convoy of vehicles and were welcomed by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna.

They headed to their hotel to rest before having a working lunch with Zelenskyy, followed by a press conference and a walk through the war-torn areas of Kyiv.

The French presidential office said they will be joined by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who also traveled to Kyiv from Bucharest.

The visit takes place a few days before the European Council on June 23 and 24, in which Ukraine hopes for a very strong symbolic gesture from the bloc. EFE

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