Putin is the “frequent enemy” of Ukraine and Europe: Volodymir Zelensky

Paris. The president of Ukraine, Volodymir Zelensky, referred to as this Friday on his Western allies to “do extra” to assist his nation towards the Russian invasion, throughout a go to to France by which the American Joe Biden communicated new assist to him.

“Europe is now not a continent of peace” due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky advised the French Nationwide Meeting (decrease home), a day after taking part within the ceremonies marking the eightieth anniversary of the Normandy Landings.

The president outlined a panorama by which “once more in Europe, cities are fully destroyed and cities burned,” and described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “frequent enemy” of Ukraine and Europe.

Zelensky hoped that the worldwide peace summit scheduled for June 15 and 16 in Switzerland, by which Russia won’t take part, may carry Ukraine nearer to a “simply finish” to the warfare and referred to as on his allies to “do extra” to attain it.

“Can we win this battle? In fact we are able to,” added the Ukrainian head of state.

Ukraine doesn’t cease asking its Western allies to extend their army assist within the face of Russia’s advance within the east and north of Ukrainian territory in current months.

“Simply because the starting of this yr, I believe 47 cities have been liberated,” Putin mentioned of the Ukrainian cities and cities taken by his forces, at a gathering of the Worldwide Financial Discussion board in St. Petersburg.

kyiv’s allies, together with French President Emmanuel Macron who will obtain Zelensky this Friday afternoon, are involved concerning the penalties on the battle {that a} victory by Donald Trump within the subsequent US presidential election may have.

“Enormous assist”

The presidents of Ukraine and america took benefit of their presence in France on the event of the anniversary of “D-Day”, which 80 years in the past paved the way in which for the Allied victory towards Nazi Germany, to satisfy this Friday in Paris.

Biden introduced $225 million in assist to his Ukrainian counterpart that, in line with the Pentagon, will embrace air protection missiles, ammunition for the Himars rocket launcher system, artillery projectiles and missiles, and grenades.

“The US will at all times be with you,” he advised Zelensky, who thanked him for Washington’s “monumental assist.”

“You didn’t bend, you didn’t give in,” mentioned Biden, who provided his “apologies” to Zelensky for the months of negotiations that preceded the sophisticated adoption by the US Congress of a $61 billion assist bundle to Ukraine.

Throughout a tv interview on Thursday, Macron introduced the switch of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to kyiv and the coaching of Ukrainian pilots in France, with the intention of being operational by “the tip of the yr.”

The French president, who didn’t specify the variety of fighters, additionally talked about once more a doable sending of European instructors to Ukrainian soil, on the request of kyiv. Though he didn’t give a agency response, this already provoked Russia’s anger.

“Macron reveals absolute assist for the Ukrainian regime and declares that the French Republic is able to take part immediately within the army battle,” declared the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov.

Requested by journalists, Macron had dominated out that this constituted an escalation towards Moscow. “Prepare somebody within the western zone [de Ucrania] that it’s a free zone isn’t aggressive,” he assured.

Within the presence of the Ukrainian president, the Franco-German arms group KNDS additionally made official this Friday the creation of a subsidiary in Ukraine that can permit the manufacturing of kit and ammunition on Ukrainian soil.

“Democracy” and “greatness”

Throughout the Normandy Touchdown ceremonies, Biden had already drawn parallels between the struggle of Ukrainians towards Russian troops and the battle to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.

And in a brand new speech on the Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, a promontory that American troops seized from German troopers on June 6, 1944 in a daring assault, he referred to as on his fellow residents to defend democracy.

“American democracy requires essentially the most tough factor: believing that we’re a part of one thing greater than ourselves. So democracy begins with every of us,” mentioned the 81-year-old president.

5 months earlier than the US presidential election, he joined the road of Republican Ronald Reagan, who on June 6, 1984 in that very same place appealed to the heroism of those that landed, and veiledly criticized Trump.