International

Ukraine Crisis: 3 EU Leaders Visit Zelensky Amid Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine

Published

3 years ago

Mar 16, 2022.

Three courageous European leaders visited President Zelensky amid Russia Invasion.
It is understood the leaders decided to go by train because flying could have been viewed by Russia as provocative

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the leaders of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia made a bold and symbolic visit to thee Ukrainian capital on Tuesday, even after the city was bombarded by overnight shelling.

In a remarkable development given the attacks Kyiv is facing, the heads of the three nations got on the train for a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The trip was a Polish idea after the EU warned of potential security risks.
Alongside a picture of the men together around a table, Poland President Mateusz Morawiecki said they visited to show the world that Ukraine can ‘count on the help of its friends.

It is here, that freedom fights against the world of tyranny. It is here that the future of us all hangs in the balance. EU supports UA, which can count on the help of its friends – we brought this message to Kyiv today.’

It is understood the leaders decided to go by train because flying could have been viewed by Russia as provocative.
Mr Morawiecki, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, and Slovenia’s Janez Jansa are the first international leaders to visit Zelensky since Russia unleashed war on its neighbour almost three weeks ago.

It was not immediately clear when they would make a return trip.
Polish deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, said the trip to Kyiv ‘is obviously risky’ and described the Russian leadership as ‘barbarians’.

Nevertheless, the prime ministers decided that this risk is worth taking for the sake of values, for the sake of our common security and for the sake of solidarity with the (Ukrainian) nation,’ he said.

He pointed out that the leaders of Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states flew to Tbilisi in 2008 in a show of support after Russia’s invasion of Georgia.

‘At that time neither the Polish president nor his Ukrainian colleague lacked the courage to stand on the side of the attacked nation,’ Przydacz told Polish TV.
Poland vowed to stand by Ukraine, saying ‘we know that you are fighting not only for your homes, for your freedom, for your security, but also for ours’.

Ukraine’s prime minister later expressed his gratitude, saying: ‘The courage of true friends of Ukraine!’

Zelensky is also quoted as telling the group: ‘Our visit is a powerful expression of support for Ukraine.’

The meeting came after Russia stepped up its bombardment of Kyiv, smashing apartments and a subway station.
Large explosions thundered across the capital before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia’s assault on the capital appeared to become more systematic and edged closer to the city centre.

President Zelensky said barrages hit four multi-storey buildings in the city and killed dozens of people. The shelling ignited a huge fire in a 15-storey apartment building and spurred a frantic rescue effort.

The strikes on the 20th day of Russia’s invasion targeted a western district of Kyiv, disrupting a relative calm that had returned after an initial advance by Moscow’s forces was stopped in the early days of the war.
A senior US defence source said the Russians were using long-range fire to hit civilian targets within Kyiv with increasing frequency, but that their ground forces were making little to no progress around the country.
Russian forces were thought to be about nine miles from the centre of Kyiv by Tuesday night.

Following the meeting of the three EU leaders, Poland called for an international peacekeeping mission with military capability to be sent to Ukraine.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling party, said: ‘I think that it is necessary to have a peace mission – Nato, possibly some wider international structure – but a mission that will be able to defend itself, which will operate on Ukrainian territory.’

Nato allies have repeatedly ruled out any direct military involvement for fear this will provoke a wider war in Europe.
Mr Zelensky has repeatedly called on the west to impose a no-fly zone over his country’s airspace, but Nato has refused.

However, a senior Ukrainian negotiator said talks with Russia will continue today, Wednesday.
The talks this week follow three rounds of negotiations in Belarus that failed to produce any visible progress

Click to watch our video of the week: