Zelensky assured Germany that Ukraine would not attack Russian territory in its expected counteroffensive

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, met the German President this Sunday, at the beginning of his visit to Germany, specifically, He handed over a large package of weaponsBy the time his army prepares a counterattack.

“With each visit, Ukraine’s defensive and offensive capabilities expand”Zelensky wrote on Twitter after arriving overnight at Villacouple air base, southwest of Paris. “Relations with Europe are strengthening, pressure on Russia is increasing,” he added.

On his first trip to Germany since the Russian invasion began 015 months earlier, Zelensky met his adversary Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin and would later meet with German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.

The Ukrainian president will travel to Aachen (West) in the afternoon to receive the Charlemagne Prize, which recognizes his commitment to European integration. The Ukrainian president, who arrived in Germany late on Saturday, pledged on Twitter that his visit would be dedicated to the “very important package” of arms deliveries to his country and the “reconstruction” of Ukraine.

Zelensky’s tour, which took him to Rome and the Vatican on Saturday, comes amid preparations for that. Counterattack by the Ukrainian army And while both Ukraine and Russia advance around Baghmut. Zelensky made it clear in Germany that Ukraine would not attack Russian territory in a counterattack.

After crossing Germany, Zelensky Arrived in Paris on an unannounced trip He held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Thus, he surprisingly extended his tour to many European countries in search of military aid.

France sent a plane to pick up Zelensky in Germany. Macron’s government indicated that the two leaders spoke over dinner and that Macron recognized “the unwavering support of France and the whole of Europe for the recovery of Ukraine’s legitimate rights and fundamental interests.”

Zelensky is trying to rally his supporters in Europe while his army prepares a counteroffensive in the east, as announced several weeks ago. On the eve of his visit, the German government announced a new plan on Saturday 2.7 billion euros (about $2.9 billion) in military aid to Ukraine.”We all want a quick end to this brutal Russian war against the Ukrainian people, but unfortunately that is not in sight. That’s why Germany will take all the help it can,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. The deliveries included dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, surveillance drones and four new Iris-Van defense systems.

An adviser to the Ukrainian president welcomed the support, but Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrij Melnyk said it was not enough. The German government’s continued refusal to hand over fighter jets is also disappointing.This ban must be broken urgently,” lamented the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany on Welt TV.

The UK has just announced that it will supply Ukraine Storm Shadow cruise missilesIt was the first country to deploy long-range weapons of this type capable of striking at distances of up to 250 kilometers.

Relations between Kyiv and Berlin have long been tense over military aid Germany was criticized for not supplying enough weapons, he has intensified his support in recent months. Zelensky told the BBC on Thursday that he “needs a little more time” to launch a counterattack. Ukraine is trying to regain territory claimed by Russia in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (in the east), as well as in Kherson and Zaporizhia (in the south).

President of Ukraine He met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday and thanked him for his “attention” to the “tragedy of millions of Ukrainians”. He met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who assured him of “full support to facilitate the progressive integration of Kyiv into the European Union.” Terrain is “advancing” in the vicinity of the town of Baghmut, the epicenter of fighting with Russian troops in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military assured on Saturday.

Russia, for its part, vowed to continue to make progress in the devastated city. According to a Ukrainian judicial source, two people died and one was wounded in a Russian attack near Pakmut. The Battle of Pakmut has been bloody and long since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022.

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