Zelensky asks France and Germany to send Fighter Jets

Paris, Feb 09: President Volodymyr Zelensky met the two countries' leaders in Paris on Wednesday evening, where they pledged ongoing support to Ukraine. France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Olaf Scholz restated their belief that Russia must not win the war.

 

 

 

Zelensky will make more requests for jets when he meets European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday. He believes the fighter jets and long-range missiles are essential in addition to the Leopard 2 tanks Western nations have recently committed to supplying.

 

 

 

Speaking at a joint news conference on Wednesday evening with Macron and Scholz, Zelensky said France and Germany could be "game-changers" in the battle against Russia by providing Ukraine with battle tanks, modern fighter planes, and long-range missiles. He said the supply of the jets had been discussed and warned there was "very little time" to provide the weaponry. Macron said Ukraine could count on France's support and that the country was "determined to help Ukraine to victory and the re-establishment of its legitimate rights". Scholz also said: "The position is unchanged: Russia must not win this war." Whether that means the two nations may commit to supplying fighter jets is unclear for now. The French president and German chancellor have sometimes faced criticism for being too slow to support Ukraine. Zelensky has previously expressed frustration with Macron, who continued to hold phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the invasion.

 

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But the Ukrainian president told the French newspaper Le Figaro he believed Macron had changed. He said his commitment to support Ukraine to victory and the fact he "opened the door" to tank deliveries last month showed this.

Zelensky's Thursday visit to Brussels comes after he addressed the UK Parliament on Wednesday.