Zelenskyy to head to France to request more Western help against Russia - Politico
Archive photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to attend events commemorating the landing of Allied forces in Normandy, France. There, he will urge NATO members to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, informs Politico.
The sources indicate that Zelenskyy may visit France as soon as next month.
"But Ukraine is also in desperate need of continued support and global attention, and the trip would give him time with world leaders — including President Joe Biden — to plead his nation’s case," journalists write.
Zelenskyy is expected to use this trip to call for greater military support from the West and to ask NATO to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, as the United States and Britain did when Iran attacked Israel.
Visit to Italy
Politico writes that afterward, Zelenskyy plans to head to Italy for a meeting with the G7. Over the past few months, members of the group have been discussing the feasibility of using hundreds of billions of seized Russian assets to strengthen Ukraine's defense and economy, citing legal complexities and fears that Moscow could do the same with Western countries.
The United States and the United Kingdom have strongly supported this idea, while some European members, notably Germany, are more skeptical. This issue stirred up the previous meeting of G7 finance ministers, where European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde vehemently opposed the full confiscation of Russian assets to lend to Ukraine.
"Zelenskyy would likely use the opportunity with heads of state and governments to try to convince the doubters," the material says.
Politico reminded that in January, Zelenskyy raised questions about the $300 billion of seized Russian assets and said, "why not use it?"
Ukraine calls on the West to shoot down Russian missiles
Closing the Ukrainian sky to Russian missiles has been urged by the government in Kyiv from the early days of the war, however, NATO is reluctant to do so due to the alleged escalation of the war.
At the same time, recently Zelenskyy reminded again that when Russian missiles fly, Polish planes take off but do not shoot them down.
"Can they do it? I'm sure they can. Is it an attack by NATO countries, an involvement? No" the president emphasized.
