Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at the Elysée Palace to meet French President Emmanuel Macron. This is Zelensky’s tenth visit to France since the Russian invasion in February 2022. He will be accompanied on this occasion by his wife, Olena Zelenska.
The Ukrainian president returns to France just two weeks after his last visit. According to the Elysée, Macron and Zelensky “will talk about the situation on the ground and the conditions for a just and lasting peace, in the wake of the Geneva discussions and the American plan, and of close consultation with European partners”. The two “will also take stock of the work started for security guarantees within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing”. Zelensky appears weakened by the affair of his now former chief of staff Andrii Yermak, accused of involvement in a corruption affair.
Over the weekend, interviewed by La Tribune Dimanche, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, reiterated that the Ukrainian president “has all the legitimacy to lead Ukraine to peace” and that corruption cases “must be dealt with by the competent institutions, without interference with the peace process”. At the end of the bilateral meeting, Zelensky and his wife will be welcomed by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron for a four-person lunch. In the afternoon, Macron and Zelensky will go to the Quai d’Orsay for two events in the presence of Barrot and the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati. The head of the Ukrainian state and his wife will participate in the launch of Ukraine’s cultural season in France to «underline», according to Barrot, «that war is not only faced with tanks and cannons, but also with the weapons of the mind».