Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Switzerland on Monday, his office said, as Ukraine tries to ensure stable support from allies as the war against Russia nears its second anniversary.
Zelenskyy is due to “meet the heads of both houses of parliament, party leaders and the president of Switzerland, participate in the World Economic Forum” in Davos, said a statement from the presidency Sunday.
The announcement came hours after France and Germany reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“We are in full agreement… that we must support the Ukrainians for as long as necessary,” French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told journalists in Berlin, alongside German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Baerbock said they would remain “on the side of Ukraine as long as necessary, until Russia has withdrawn” from Ukrainian territory.
Sejourne’s visit to Germany came a day after he traveled to Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy, his first official trip in his new role as foreign minister — another clear signal to the international community.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had visited Ukraine just a day earlier, on Friday, announcing a fresh package of aid to the beleaguered country.
But the release of major blocks of funding, from Brussels and from Washington, have been tied up for political reasons.
The European Union is due to hold a meeting on February 1 to try to unblock the 50-billion-euro aid package for Ukraine, vetoed by Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban in December.
Talks on a peace deal
The conflicts in Ukraine and in Gaza look set to dominate the annual Davos forum in the Swiss Alps, with Ukrainian officials trying to stave off war fatigue among allies.
On Sunday, national security advisers from over 80 countries held talks there based on Zelenskyy’s 10-point proposals for a lasting and just peace in Ukraine.
They were co-chaired by Ukrainian top presidential aide Andriy Yermak, who heads Zelenskyy’s office, and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
The talks were particularly focused on the criteria to end hostilities, the withdrawal of Russian troops, justice for crimes committed and the prevention of further escalation.
Cassis said talks had to find a way to “include Russia in the process” at some point, but thus far, neither Kyiv nor Moscow has been prepared to take such a step.
…