Ukrainian President Zelensky visited London today after visiting Italy, Germany and France over the weekend. According to Europe reporter Geert Jan Hahn, the visits are all about “thanksgiving”. “But Zelenskyj wouldn’t be Zelenskyj if he, in addition to thanking, asked for nothing else”.
The British have finally decided to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons. During the conversation with Prime Minister Sunak, Zelenski also pushed for fighter planes. According to Sunak, more time is needed for such a decision.
Last week, Prime Minister Rutte said during Zelenski’s visit to the Netherlands that, together with the British, we are looking into how Europe can supply fighter jets. “This is the next phase Zelensky is preparing for,” says Hahn.
They differ by country
One of the problems with delivering fighter planes is that countries use different planes. The Netherlands could make F-16s available, while France uses Rafale aircraft and Sweden has Gripen jets. “Everyone has their own fighter jet to offer, and Zelensky really wants it all.”
“Zelensky wouldn’t be Zelensky if he didn’t ask for more than thanking him”
The fact that the British will be the first to deliver the long-range missiles is special. The Americans in particular are hesitant about this, because Ukraine could also strike targets on Russian territory. “The weapons are meant to defend and liberate Ukraine, but Sunak is confident Zelensky will not misuse them.”
NATO summit
According to Hahn, Zelensky’s tour of Europe is inextricably linked to a series of summits planned for the coming months. Like the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
“NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has now said that member states should agree on a multi-year program to help Ukraine join NATO,” Hahn said. ‘That’s actually exactly what Ukraine wants. They know that direct membership is not possible, but a commitment is possible.’
In addition to the NATO summit in July, there will be a G7 summit in Japan later this week. Meetings are also planned in Iceland, Moldova and Brussels. “Perhaps Zelensky will also report on one of these meetings. Maybe not physically, but digitally.’
Bachmoth
At the same time, fighting in Bachmoet continues. This weekend it looked like Ukraine was gaining ground. “But there’s a lot of radio silence on this,” Hahn says. “This is a battle that has been going on for eleven months. As far as I’m concerned, this doesn’t fit into the broader context of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive.’
According to Hahn, Bachmut’s battle is intended to further weaken Russia. ‘Now that they’re going to fight back, you can see there’s noise in Russia. This division could lead to the implosion of the Russian army.”
Source: BNR
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