French President Emanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Solz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi did not just say warm words about Ukraine – they also backed its bid to join the EU. But as soon as the euphoria passed, some Ukrainians wondered if the visit of the three leaders, which included Romanian President Klaus Ioannis, marked a triumph of the ceremony on the substance. Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin, summed up the ambivalence. Ukraine’s accession to the EU is very far in the future, he told German ZDF TV on Thursday. “But right now we need to survive,” he said. “And for that we need heavy weapons.” Anyone hoping the visit will break the barrier to delivering this kit will be disappointed. The only new commitment came from Macron, who said France would supply six additional Caesar shells, in addition to the 12 it has already given to Ukraine. There are still no heavy weapons from Germany in use in Ukraine. It’s all about speed – we do not have time, we can not afford to wait Dmitry Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, said that Kyiv was grateful for the military support it had received so far. But “it was not enough to win the war,” he said. “We need hundreds of more multiple rocket launchers, armored vehicles, tanks, drones and ammunition. “Every day that these decisions are delayed costs us lives.” But despite little progress in military aid, Scholz and Macron took the opportunity to publicly express their full support for Ukraine and dispel the impression – widespread in Kyiv and some other capitals – that their commitment was half heart. For Macron, it was an opportunity to ease the accusation by some domestic critics that he is too soft on Russia – a re-emergence earlier this month when he warned the West not to “humiliate” Moscow and stressed the need for dialogue with Russia. President Vladimir Putin. In Kyiv, he explicitly said Ukraine must “win the war.” “I think he has changed the way he approaches this issue and he has rejoined the current trend,” said Michel Duclos, a former French diplomat who is now a consultant at the think-tank Institut Montaigne. Danylo Lubkivsky, director of the Kiev Security Forum think-tank, said: “I hope this visit will help Macron and Soltz understand that their role is not as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, but as an iron ally. Of Ukraine. ” Solz, meanwhile, received rare praise after a trip to Kyiv from the German tabloid Bild, which has plagued him for weeks over his apparent reluctance to visit Kyiv or give Ukraine the weapons it says it needs. The headline on Friday’s front page read: “Finally, Chancellor!”, Above a photo of German leader and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy shaking hands. “That Scholz finished his speech [in Kyiv] with the words “Slavic Ukraine” [Glory to Ukraine] “This is strong,” the newspaper said in a headline. Draghi had less to prove than Solz and Macron. The Italian leader resolutely broke Italy’s traditional pro-Russian leanings and was one of the first supporters of Ukraine’s EU ambitions, pledging Rome ‘s support for its candidacy in March. However, the ratification of Ukraine’s bid to join the EU by all three leaders was of enormous symbolic importance, said Stefano Stefanini, Italy’s former ambassador to NATO. “I know this is a small consolation for the Ukrainians who are fighting in Donbas right now, but the EU. . . Put them [bloc’s] “Credibility on the line for Ukraine’s survival as an independent and viable state,” he said. On Friday, the European Commission took the next step and urged all EU leaders to approve Ukraine’s candidacy. “We want [the Ukrainians] “to live the European dream with us,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. There is no guarantee that EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels next week will follow the recommendation. Even if they do, it will be a long way off. The newest EU member, Croatia, joined the bloc in 2013, nine years after being granted candidate status, while northern Macedonia is still waiting 17 years after becoming a candidate country. In Kyiv, the leaders also discussed a possible new package of sanctions against Russia, which will be the EU’s seventh, and how to deal with the food crisis caused by the blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia, said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister. Κουλέμπα. However, the issue of weapons continues to plague relations between Ukraine and its allies. Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter earlier this month that Ukraine needed 1,000 shells, 300 multiple rocket launchers, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles and 1,000 drones to catch up with Russia. The equipment that Western countries have pledged to provide so far is very low.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that the Western Defense Alliance was drawing up a “comprehensive aid package” for Kyiv. However, he acknowledged that there were “challenges” with procuring such a large amount of equipment in such a short time. Western officials are trying to manage Ukrainian expectations. “Our discussions with the Ukrainians are: ‘You give us a shopping list, but we have to train you and help you help yourself,’” said United Kingdom’s Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace on the sidelines of a NATO meeting on Thursday. “We are not directing their war,” he added. “[But] this is not just a shopping list. You need the ingredients, the cookbook, to make it a meal “. On Friday, the United Kingdom provided some of these components, offering to launch a training program for Ukrainian troops with the ability to train up to 10,000 troops every 120 days. However, Western reservations have not convinced some Ukrainian officials, who continue to urge allies – especially Germany – to increase arms supplies. “There are still no heavy weapons from Germany in use in Ukraine,” Melnik told ZDF. “Everything has to do with speed – we do not have time, we can not afford to wait [for] This.” Additional references by Victor Mallet in Paris and Henry Foy in Brussels Video: Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “No one is humiliating Ukraine. they kill us “