EU leaders visit Ukraine after criticism, offer EU hope By Reuters

By Natalia Zinets and Simon Lewis

KYIV/IRPIN, Ukraine (Reuters) – The leaders of Germany, France and Italy, all criticised previously by Kyiv for help seen as too cautious, visited Ukraine on Thursday and supplied the hope of EU membership to a rustic pleading for weapons to fend off Russia’s invasion.

Air raid sirens blared in Kyiv because the go to by French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Italy’s Mario Draghi started, with the leaders touring a close-by city wrecked early within the struggle.

After holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the leaders signalled that Ukraine must be granted European Union candidate standing, a symbolic gesture that might draw Kyiv nearer to the financial bloc.

Scholz mentioned Germany had taken in 800,000 Ukrainian refugees who had fled the battle and would proceed to help Ukraine so long as it wants.

“Ukraine belongs to the European household,” he mentioned.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian officers mentioned their troops had been nonetheless holding out in opposition to large Russian bombardment within the japanese metropolis of Sievierodonetsk, and described new progress in a counteroffensive within the south.

However they mentioned battles on each foremost fronts relied on receiving extra support from the West, particularly artillery to counter Russia’s huge benefit in firepower.

“We recognize the help already supplied by companions, we count on new deliveries, primarily heavy weapons, fashionable rocket artillery, anti-missile defence methods,” Zelenskiy mentioned after the talks along with his European counterparts.

“There’s a direct correlation: the extra highly effective weapons we get, the sooner we will liberate our individuals, our land,” he mentioned.

Macron mentioned France would step up arms deliveries to Kyiv, whereas NATO defence ministers assembly in Brussels had been additionally anticipated to vow extra weapons.

GAS FLOWS FALL

The go to had taken weeks to organise, whereas the three strongest EU leaders all fended off criticism over positions described as too deferential to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Critics in contrast Macron and Scholz to Britain’s Boris Johnson, who visited Kyiv greater than two months in the past.

The leaders, who had been joined by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, toured Irpin, a city northeast of the capital devastated quickly after the invasion started on Feb. 24, the place withdrawing Russian forces left behind our bodies littering the streets.

Noting graffiti on a wall that learn “Make Europe, not struggle”, Macron mentioned: “It’s totally shifting to see that. That is the precise message.”

Scholz, Macron and Draghi all say they’re sturdy supporters of Ukraine who’ve taken sensible steps to cut back Europe’s dependence on Russian power and discover weapons to assist Kyiv.

However Ukraine has lengthy criticised Scholz over what it regards as Germany’s gradual supply of weapons and reluctance to sever financial ties with Moscow, and was livid this month at Macron for saying in an interview that Russia should not be “humiliated”.

Italy, which final yr sourced 40% of its imports from Russia, has additionally proposed a peace plan which Ukrainians concern may result in strain on them to surrender territory.

After the talks in Kyiv, Macron mentioned some form of communication channel was nonetheless wanted with Putin.

The struggle has brought about world financial disruption and surging costs for meals and power, forcing central banks world wide to jack up borrowing prices even whereas their economies stumble.

Regardless of sanctions, Europe nonetheless is dependent upon Russia for a lot of its power provides. Gasoline deliveries by way of a serious pipeline to Germany have fallen in current days, elevating concern about provides for winter, with Moscow blaming the sanctions for holding up supply of kit despatched overseas for restore.

Germany mentioned Russia’s rationalization was technically “unfounded” and was as a substitute geared toward driving up fuel costs. Italy mentioned Moscow is perhaps utilizing the difficulty to exert political strain.

‘GHOST VILLAGES’

Ukraine is taking a whole lot of casualties a day because the struggle has entered a brutal attritional section within the east.

After Moscow launched its “particular navy operation” claiming its goal was to disarm and “denazify” its neighbour, Ukraine repelled an armoured assault on Kyiv in March.

Since then, nonetheless, Russia has shifted its goals and techniques, now attempting to grab extra floor within the east with advances behind large artillery bombardments, and fortify its grip over captured territory within the south.

The primary battle in current weeks has been over the japanese metropolis of Sievierodonetsk, the place Ukrainian forces are holed up in a chemical manufacturing unit with a whole lot of civilians.

“Every single day it turns into increasingly tough as a result of the Russians are pulling increasingly weapons into the town, and attempting to storm it from a number of instructions,” Sievierodonetsk mayor Oleksandr Stryuk mentioned on Thursday.

All remaining bridges linking the town with Ukrainian-held territory on the other financial institution of Siverskyi Donets river had been destroyed in current days, however Ukrainian officers say the garrison remains to be not utterly cut-off.

An airstrike on Thursday hit a constructing sheltering civilians in Lysychansk throughout the river, killing no less than three and wounding no less than seven, regional governor Serhiy Gaidai mentioned.

Within the south, Ukraine says its forces have been making inroads into Kherson province, which Russia occupied early in its invasion. There was little impartial reporting to verify battlefield positions within the space.

Zelenskiy’s chief of workers, Andriy Yermak, tweeted that he had visited an space simply 3-4 km from Russian positions, the place dozens of “ghost villages” had been depopulated by the fight.

“Our guys on the bottom – the temper is combating. Even with restricted sources, we’re pushing again the enemy. One factor is lacking – long-range weapons. In any case, we’ll throw them out of the south,” he wrote.