Volodymyr Zelensky, having secured safety assurances for Ukraine from Berlin and Paris, is returning to Germany this Saturday. He is expected to speak with Western leaders this morning, aiming to rally broad support for his country currently confronting Russian military forces. The Ukrainian president has a busy diplomatic schedule including a meeting with U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and another discussion with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Zelensky is scheduled to address the Munich Security Conference, a gathering of geopolitics and defense elite, around 9:30 a.m. His speech is timed at a crucial moment for Ukraine, particularly its military personnel, who are under the strain of Russian assaults in eastern Ukraine, near the town of Avdiivka.
Ukraine is grappling with multiple issues: Russian military offensives, pending U.S. military support, and its own army’s shortage of manpower, weapons, and ammunition. For months, Kyiv has been awaiting the approval of a crucial $60 billion aid package proposed by Joe Biden’s administration, despite obstacles from the Republican opposition influenced by Donald Trump.
Kamala Harris warned in a Munich speech on Friday that failing to approve this aid in the American Congress would equate to “handing a gift to Putin.” Chancellor Scholz is also scheduled to speak at Munich on Saturday, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The European Union recently, albeit with some difficulty, approved a four-year, 50 billion euro military aid package after Hungary revoked its veto.
A meeting of foreign ministers from the G7 industrial powers is also planned to occur during the conference.
On Friday, Zelensky signed two security agreements with Berlin and Paris, intended to ensure enduring support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russian forces. France has pledged to provide up to three billion euros in additional aid to Ukraine for 2024. This ten-year agreement includes, among other things, bolstering “cooperation in the field of artillery.” The aid will supplement the approximately seven billion euros previously announced by Berlin.
Zelensky emphasized in Paris that these bilateral agreements are not an “alternative” to support from Washington. He expressed hope that it would motivate the United States to release the anticipated aid. “Two years into this horrific war, we are sending a very clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin today: our support for Ukraine will not wane,” Olaf Scholz warned in a press conference alongside Zelensky.
However, Zelensky’s European tour was overshadowed by the news of the death of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s leading critic, in prison, which has escalated tensions with the Western countries and further diminished any hopes of conciliation with Moscow.
