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UKRAINE

Paris sees success in bringing Zelensky to G7

When Volodymyr Zelensky landed in Hiroshima on Saturday to meet G7 leaders, the Ukrainian president arrived on a French government plane -- a move Paris sees as a key diplomatic success.

Paris sees success in bringing Zelensky to G7
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) speaks with France's President Emmanuel Macron (2nd L) during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima on May 20, 2023. Photo: Ludovic MARIN/AFP.

Bringing Zelensky to the summit gives him a chance to engage with some key countries that have so far withheld their support against Russia’s invasion, and French President Emmanuel Macron hopes the opportunity will be a game-changer for Kyiv.

Macron, who has faced criticism for his statements on Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations, has lobbied to enable the Ukrainian president to make his case in front of some Arab leaders, as well as India and Brazil, who have also been invited to Japan.

A week ago, when Macron hosted his Ukrainian counterpart for dinner at the Elysee Palace, the idea of Zelensky attending the summit of his main Western allies was already under discussion, said a Macron adviser, but the logistics had yet to be figured out.

Finally, Kyiv came through with a formal request.

“They asked us on Wednesday if we could transport them on Thursday. We said yes,” said the French presidential official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

A French Air Force Airbus A330 picked up Zelensky at the Polish border and flew him first to Saudi Arabia, where he addressed an Arab League summit on Friday. Then from there, he traveled to Japan Saturday to immediately begin bilateral meetings.

‘Very positive signals’

The trip was the first to the Asia-Pacific for the wartime president since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago.

On board the French plane, accompanied by Isabelle Dumont, Macron’s adviser on Ukraine and former ambassador in Kyiv, Zelensky prepared “very carefully” for his mission, said the French side.

When greeting Zelensky in a large hotel in Hiroshima, Macron expressed hope the meetings on the sidelines of the summit will offer Kyiv a “a unique opportunity.”

“I think it can change the game,” Macron said. 

Zelensky assured Macron that he had already received “very positive signals” from Arab countries the day before.

Zelensky has proposed holding an international peace summit over Ukraine and wants to rally as many countries as possible behind his cause.

In order to achieve this, Paris believes it is crucial for Zelensky to have a one-on-one with key leaders, such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has pointedly refrained from condemning the Russian invasion, or Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has not sent weapons to Ukraine or joined sanctions on Russia.

Modi’s meeting with Zelensky on Saturday gave cause for optimism.

“I can assure you that to resolve this India and, me personally, will do whatever we can do,” Modi told Zelensky.

And the Elysee says Lula also plans to meet his Ukrainian counterpart in Hiroshima, though Brasilia has not confirmed that.

“We were able to convince the Japanese presidency” of the G7 “not only to invite President Zelensky to Hiroshima, but to allow him to exchange” with these emerging countries, during a session scheduled for Sunday at the end of the summit, said the French official. “It’s France’s initiative.”

Paris is hoping for a strong declaration at the end of the summit on Sunday that would show international unity behind “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and the need to “create together the conditions for peace”.

This French effort comes as US President Joe Biden this week announced, in a major reversal, a decision to support providing advanced warplanes including F16s to Ukraine and to back efforts to train Kyiv’s pilots — something long sought by Zelensky.

France has said it is ready to train Ukrainian pilots as soon as the coveted jets arrive in Ukraine.

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UKRAINE

Macron urges ‘tangible’ NATO security guarantees for Kyiv

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called on the West to offer Ukraine "tangible and credible" security guarantees as it battles Russia's invasion.

Macron urges 'tangible' NATO security guarantees for Kyiv

Stressing that Ukraine “is today protecting Europe”, Macron said in Bratislava that it is in the West’s interest that Kyiv have security assurances from NATO.

“That is why I’m in favour, and this will be the subject of collective talks in the following weeks… to offer tangible and credible security guarantees to Ukraine,” he added.

He said various NATO members could provide these guarantees for the time being as Ukraine waits to join the alliance.

“We have to build something between the security provided to Israel and full-fledged membership,” Macron said.

The French head of state is on a visit to Slovakia, where he delivered a speech at an event organised by the international affairs think tank Globsec.

The event, focussed on regional security issues, comes in the run-up to the NATO summit in Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11th-12th.

Macron recalled that he once called the Western defence alliance “brain dead” but said Russia’s invasion last year “had jolted NATO awake”.

“We need to help Ukraine today with all means to carry out an effective counter-offensive” against Russian forces, Macron said.

“It’s what we are currently doing. We have to intensify our efforts because what will happen in the next few months offers a chance even for… a lasting peace.”

Macron also called on EU nations to buy European arms and acquire in-depth strike capabilities.

“It is up to us Europeans to in the future have our own ability to defend ourselves,” he said.

“A Europe of defence, a European pillar within NATO, is indispensable. It’s the only way to be credible… in the long-term,” he said.

The French leader also called for EU enlargement, to bring more countries into the fold.

The European Union should “invent several formats” to meet the membership aspirations of countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, he said.

Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine itself are among the countries which have applied to join the European bloc, but conforming to the accession rules can be a difficult and timely procedure.

“Yes, it (the EU) must enlarge. Yes, it must be rethought in terms of its governance and its aims. Yes, it must innovate, no doubt, to invent several formats and clarify the aims of each of these formats,” Macron declared.

“This is the only way to meet the legitimate expectations of the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine, which must join the European Union, and to maintain the geopolitical effectiveness, but also the climate, the rule of law and the economic integration of the European Union as it exists today,” he insisted.

The two alternatives are to make candidate nations “wait indefinitely” or to let them swiftly join the existing EU structure with the risk that the bloc will no longer be able to function.

Macron will next visit Moldova on Thursday where he will meet with fellow European leaders, including from outside the European Union.

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