Macron-Zelensky phone call… “Cooperation in landmine removal, weapons production, etc.”
“Macron is considering a visit with other Western leaders”
French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Ukraine has been postponed for the third time.
According to AFP, the Elysee Palace announced on the 10th (local time) that “President Macron plans to visit Ukraine ‘within a few weeks.’” The schedule scheduled for later this week has been postponed again.
The Elysee Palace said that President Macron had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that day, and that “the two leaders agreed to maintain close contact regarding President (Macron)’s visit to Ukraine in the coming weeks.”
The Elysee Palace also said, “In the phone call, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation in areas such as cyber security, landmine removal, and weapons production.”
President Macron was originally scheduled to visit Odessa and Kiev, Ukraine, on February 13-14 to sign a security agreement, but canceled it due to “security reasons.” Subsequently, the schedule that had been rescheduled for early this month was postponed to later this week, but it appears that even this has been postponed again.
Instead, President Zelensky visited Germany and France one after another on the 16th of last month and signed bilateral security agreements with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Macron, respectively.
On the 6th, while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was visiting Odessa, southern Ukraine, and holding a joint press conference with President Zelenskyy, a missile fell just 300 meters away, killing five people. At the time, Prime Minister Mitsotakis said, “I heard the air raid warning and the sound of explosions, and there was no time to run to a shelter.” He added, “Seeing and hearing about war through the media and experiencing it firsthand are really different.”
President Macron caused a stir when he first hinted at the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine on the 26th of last month. He took a step back, saying, “It was not agreed upon, and there are no immediate plans to dispatch it,” but he later said to Western countries, “We must not be cowards (against Russia),” and “We will intervene if the Russian army advances toward Kieu or Odessa.” They are pouring out strong statements such as “We can do it.”
The reason why President Macron postponed his visit to Ukraine again is not specifically known. However, according to Reuters, he is said to be considering a visit with other Western leaders to show solidarity and unity towards Ukraine.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.