World
D-Day: President Zelenskyy arrives in Paris
Ukraine’s President was due to meet with US President Biden as Kyiv’s army endures its hardest days of fighting since the early weeks of the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has attended a military honour ceremony in Paris, as the second day of D-Day commemorations kicks off.
He was officially welcomed by French defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, for a ceremony at the Invalides monument, which the site of Napoleon’s tomb.
Zelenskyy is also due to visit the Nexter arms manufacturer in Versailles, which makes the Caesar self-propelled howitzers that France is providing to Kyiv’s forces.
The Ukrainian President will later meet with more French officials, including Emmanuel Macron, at the Élysée Palace, after which he is due to make a speech to the National Assembly.
Zelenskyy is also due to meet with US President Joe Biden as Kyiv’s army endures its hardest days of fighting since the early weeks of the war with Russia.
The US is Ukraine’s biggest supplier of wartime support, but the country experienced a major shortfall in ammunition while US military aid was held up in Congress for six months.
In April, President Biden finally signed into law a $61 billion (€56bn) military aid package for Ukraine and officials said this week that the US will send a further $225 million (€208m) of supplies, including munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, as well as mortar systems and an array of artillery rounds.
President Zelenskyy’s foreign trips aim to keep Ukraine’s plight in the public eye, secure more military help for its fight against Russia’s invasion and lock in long-term Western support through bilateral alliances.
Ukraine is preparing for what officials say could be a tough summer ahead.