Macron, Scholz and Draghi arrive in Ukraine
Ukraine has said it needs some 1,000 heavy artillery weapons
Ukraine has said it needs some 1,000 heavy artillery weapons
Ukraine has said it needs some 1,000 heavy artillery weapons
Ukraine has said it needs some 1,000 heavy artillery weapons
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi plan to visit Ukraine on Thursday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is also expected to join this high-profile delegation to visit the country since the war broke out in the last week of February.
Ukraine has said it needs some 1,000 heavy artillery weapons (howitzers), 300 multiple rocket launchers, 500 tanks, 2,000 armoured vehicles and 1,000 drones, a DW report reads. Germany and France face the challenge of maintaining unfaltering support for Ukraine while formulating a plan to deal with Russia once the war ends.
Andriy Melnyk, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany told DW, “The people of Ukraine expect that during his visit to Kyiv Chancellor Olaf Scholz will announce that he is bringing with him a new relief package of German weaponry, which absolutely should immediately include the deliverable Leopard-1 tanks as well as more Marder armoured infantry fighting vehicles." Scholz has been dealing with criticism on the home front and abroad for Germany, Europe's richest economy, failing to provide Ukraine with enough military equipment.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said, "What we need from the three leaders of the most important countries are tougher support sanctions and weapons as quickly as possible."