French president Emmanuel Macron is coming under increasing pressure to visit Ukraine before France's tenure at the helm of the European presidency comes to an end. The calls come as US president Joe Biden has promised Kyiv advanced rocket systems that analysts say could turn the tide against the Russian assault on Ukraine's Donbas region.
Speaking on Tuesday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on French President Emmanuel Macron to visit his country before the end of France's EU presidency on 30 June.
Kuleba told French news channel LCI: "It would be good that Macron came during the French EU presidency, and the best thing would be that he comes with more weapons deliveries for Ukraine."
"That's the most precious aid we can receive from France," he added.
Macron travelled to Moscow and Kyiv shortly before Russia's invasion on 24 February but has not returned to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war.
➡️ Quel progrès, si @EmmanuelMacron vient à #Kiev ?
— LCI (@LCI) May 31, 2022
🔴🗣️ : "Il serait bien qu'il vienne pendant sa présidence de l'UE et qu'il vienne avec d'autres livraisons d'armes pour l'Ukraine" Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) | @DariusRochebin
📲 #RuthElkrief2022 pic.twitter.com/TFXOH9wZ4z
'The right conditions'
However, visits to Kyiv by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian leader Justin Trudeau and high-ranking European officials since Russia withdrew its forces from the Ukrainian capital, have put Macron's absence under the spotlight.
On Tuesday, he repeated his wish to go to Kyiv "in good time, in the right conditions".
Speaking on BFMTV this Wednesday morning, former French president François Hollande insisted Macron "should go to Kyiv since he is president of the European Union," adding that "France's presence [in Ukraine] is expected, it is even desired."
"It is time for him to do it now," Hollande underlined.
Newly appointed French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Kyiv on Monday, marking the first such trip by a French official since the start of the war.
Macron is one of the few European leaders to maintain a regular dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has warned that humiliating Russia will not bring peace.
🔴EN DIRECT
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 1, 2022
Emmanuel Macron "devrait aller à Kiev", déclare François Hollandehttps://t.co/CP7zoXD3uc pic.twitter.com/ewHpJOh0Tg
Biden promises Ukraine 'advanced' rocket system
This comes as US President Joe Biden has said the United States will send more advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, as Russian troops press to complete the capture of the key eastern city of Severodonetsk.
One of the industrial hubs on Russia's path to taking the eastern Lugansk region, Severodonetsk has become a target of massive Russian firepower since the failed attempt to capture Kyiv.
The Russians reportedly control most of the destroyed city.
But in a boost for the outgunned Ukrainian military, Biden has confirmed that more US weaponry is on the way.
Biden wrote in The New York Times: "We will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine."
The US will be providing Ukraine with more advanced rocket systems and munitions to allow Ukrainian forces to "more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield," President Joe Biden wrote in a Tuesday op-ed for The New York Times.https://t.co/tMMUhurIGa via @businessinsider
— Juozas Jurginis, Jr (@JurginisJr) June 1, 2022
- Ukrainian forces prepare for major Russian offensive push in Donbas
- Zelensky accuses Russia of 'genocide' in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region
US insists Ukraine weapons for 'defence only'
The weapons reportedly being sent are Himars, or the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which have precision-guided munitions and a longer range than those currently deployed by Ukraine.
The Himars are the centrepiece of a $700 million package being unveiled Wednesday that includes air surveillance radar, more Javelin short-range anti-tank rockets, artillery ammunition, helicopters, vehicles and spare parts, the official said.
The US is attempting to help Kyiv's war effort while not being seen as a direct belligerent, and the official stressed that while the weapons would be used to "repel Russian advances on Ukrainian territory", they would not be "used against Russia".
While some analysts have suggested the Himars could be a "game-changer", others say they should not be expected to suddenly turn the tables for Ukrainian forces struggling under Russian artillery fire.
