After his recent surprising trips to Finland and the Netherlands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is expected to return to the EU this weekend. He is scheduled to meet President Giorgio Mattarella this Saturday in the Italian capital Rome – it is expected that he will also be received there by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. It was unclear whether Selenskyj would continue to fly to Germany.
Meanwhile, two Russian pilots died when a military helicopter crashed over Crimea. In the occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, two major explosions apparently occurred, for which Moscow blamed Kiev.
Visit to Rome and the Vatican
Rome is preparing for Zelenskyy’s visit. While only one meeting with Mattarella has been confirmed, details of the other expected dates have remained secret. Prime Minister Meloni visited Selenskyj in Kiev in February and is now expected to receive him. It was not said whether the two would also hold a press conference.
Equally unclear is the nature of a meeting with the pope that the Vatican was reportedly working on but which the Holy See has not confirmed. Possibly Selenskyj and Francis meet in private. The Pope repeatedly emphasizes that he wants to seize every opportunity to promote peace.
Controversial statements had also been made in Italy and also in the Vatican on the subject of Ukraine in the months since the Russian attack at the end of February 2022. The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, for example, criticized the fact that Francis had initially refrained from naming Russia directly as the aggressor. Some did not like the Pope’s announcement that he only wanted to visit Kiev if he was also allowed to go to Moscow. In Italian politics, ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made several comments pro Vladimir Putin. At one point he even hinted that Zelenskyy and not the Kremlin boss provoked the war.
Uncertainty about onward travel to Germany
Due to the extensive secrecy of the travel details, it initially remained open whether Zelenskyj would continue to Germany after his appointments in Rome. The Berlin police have been preparing for the arrival of the state guest from Kiev for several days – the fact that these plans have recently become public caused upset.
Should the trip take place, Selenskyj could be received by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Germany at the weekend. On Sunday evening he will also be awarded the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen on behalf of the Ukrainian people.
EIB President for immediate reconstruction of Ukraine
In view of the award ceremony, the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Werner Hoyer, spoke out in favor of an immediate reconstruction of the infrastructure in Ukraine. “Reconstruction must start now. In this way we are strengthening the resilience of the Ukrainians,” said Hoyer of the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday). The EIB will also finance further infrastructure projects during the war.
Zelenskyj: Internally, Russia is already prepared for defeat
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, explained that in his eyes the Russian leadership was secretly preparing for defeat. “In their minds, they have already lost this war,” he said in his daily video address. “We have to put pressure on them every day so that their sense of defeat turns into flight, mistakes and losses.”
More than 14 months after the start of the war of aggression, Russia has recently given partly gloomy assessments of its own situation at the front. For example, the Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin spoke of an “escape” by the army northwest of the embattled city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. The Defense Ministry in Moscow, on the other hand, emphasized that there had only been strategic regroupings.
Foreign Minister Kuleba asks for more weapons from Germany
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sees Germany as playing a key role in supplying arms to his country. With the armaments group Rheinmetall, it has “a kind of titan of the armaments industry in Europe and probably in the world,” Kuleba told the “Welt am Sonntag”. Ukraine needs artillery ammunition, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft systems – Germany has them. Germany has delivered and “can deliver more”.
Russian military helicopter crashes in Crimea, killing two pilots
According to information from Moscow, both pilots were killed when a Russian military helicopter crashed over the annexed Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. The Mi-28 completed a scheduled practice flight in the Dschankoy area on Friday when the technology failed, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Dzhankoi is located in northern Crimea, where drone strikes and explosions at Russian military bases have occurred several times in recent months. As a rule, Kiev does not officially take responsibility for this. However, observers assume that these could be preparations for the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Russian occupiers report explosions in eastern Ukrainian Luhansk
Later on Friday, Russian occupiers from the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk reported two major explosions. The administration deployed by Moscow in the annexed region accused the Ukrainian army of firing rockets at the city, which is almost 100 kilometers from the front. There was no independent confirmation of this. Kiev did not comment on the allegations.
Hungary threatens to block new EU sanctions on Russia
Hungary threatens to block new EU sanctions on Russia. As long as Hungary’s largest bank OTP is on a Ukrainian list of supporters of the Russian war of aggression, the Hungarian government will hardly be able to negotiate new sanctions that require further victims, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Sweden.
That will be important on Saturday
Heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine continues. Bachmut continues to be the focus. (dpa)
