After meeting with leaders in Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was returning home with “more new and powerful weapons for the front line, more protection for our people” and “more political support.” (Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Twitter)
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared himself “very pleased” as he capped off a whirlwind tour of western Europe, during which he secured new pledges of weapons, military aid, training and support ahead of a planned counteroffensive.
After meeting with leaders in Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, Zelenskyy said he was returning home Monday with “more new and powerful weapons for the front line, more protection for our people” and “more political support.”
The new aid packages include artillery, combat vehicles, missiles, drones and more — but, perhaps equally important, commitments for sustained aid over time, even as the conflict risks becoming a war of attrition. “It was important for [Zelenskyy] to come back with a message that the European support would be there and would continue to grow both in volume and in quality,” said Camille Grand, a distinguished policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Here is a guide to some of the latest pledges allies have made to Ukraine.
United Kingdom
Zelenskyy arrived in the United Kingdom Monday morning — the last stop on his European tour. He met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at his country estate, Chequers, and the government committed to sending Ukraine “hundreds of air defense missiles” and “hundreds of new long-range attack drones” with a range of over 124 miles, among other unmanned aerial systems. It said the new weapons would be delivered to Ukraine in the next few months, “as Ukraine prepares to intensify its resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion.”
The government also said it planned to open a school to train Ukrainian pilots “to handle different types of aircraft.” Zelenskyy in his nightly address highlighted this pledge, thanking the United Kingdom “for agreeing to train our pilots” and stating his intention to create a coalition of countries willing to help train Ukrainian pilots to fly “modern Western aircraft.”
The latest aid announcement came after Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced the donation of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine last week.
Russia said those missiles — which have a range of 155 miles, as well as infrared targeting and stealth capability — were used in recent days to strike the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, which Russia illegally claimed to annex. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov threatened Britain with “retaliatory actions” for its renewed support of Kyiv.
The decision to deliver Storm Shadows to Ukraine was “potentially a ... game changer,” said Grand, the analyst. The missiles could enable Ukrainian forces to strike Russian logistics hubs deep behind the front line. And, since they are both English and French, Britain’s move “could pave the way” for France to also send the missile — known there as the SCALP EG — to Ukraine in the future, he added.
France
Zelenskyy arrived in France on Sunday for his second trip to the country since the war began. He met with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris as the government announced new military commitments, with a focus on training troops and on refurbishing existing weapons.
France said that in the next few weeks it would “train and equip several battalions with tens of armored vehicles and light tanks including AMX-10RC.” France also pledged to send “new ammunition” to Ukraine and to help repair armored vehicles and guns damaged in the war, Macron said in an interview with French public television station TF1.
Macron said France would also train Ukrainian battalions fighting in the east ahead of the anticipated counteroffensive. And he said that France had “opened the door” to training Ukrainian pilots to use fighter jets — even though France and many other European countries have so far resisted Ukraine’s calls to send advanced aircraft. The agreement to train pilots to fly fighter jets “paves the way to the delivery of Western aircraft” at some point in the future, said Grand. Until now, only Poland and Slovakia had sent Ukraine fighter jets.
In the interview, Macron insisted the new pledges were consistent with existing French policy. “France still has the same position — to help Ukraine to resist — and now a lot is at stake, because the success of this counteroffensive will be decisive for the ability to build a lasting peace.” He said the training of Ukrainian pilots “can start now.”
Germany
Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy visited Berlin — the Ukrainian leader’s first trip to Germany since the war — where met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Ahead of his visit, the German government unveiled a new package for Ukraine totaling $2.95 billion, which almost doubles Berlin’s total commitment since Russia invaded in February 2022.
The aid package included more than 100 combat vehicles, 200 reconnaissance drones, 30 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, 20 Marder armored personnel carriers, 18 self-propelled howitzers and, crucially, IRIS-T air defense systems.
The new German aid package is “very substantial,” said Grand. Because it includes air defense systems, it could prove “critically important” for Ukraine as the country faces a “protracted campaign of aerial bombing and missile strikes.” It is also a “signal that Germany, after being quite hesitant for many, many months, is now full-fledged engaged in the support to Ukraine.”
Italy
Zelenskyy kicked off his trip with Italy. He met with President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome and later had a private discussion with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
There were no major new military aid announcements on this stop, however. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said he had “good talks” with Meloni and thanked Italy “for its help in protecting the lives of our people — from protecting the sky to preparing for the full reconstruction of Ukraine after hostilities.”
While Meloni, a far-right politician who became prime minister last October, has been vocal in her support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion, members of her governing coalition are more divided. Domestic politics may have hindered her ability to announce new aid for Ukraine, while Italy’s armed forces are also limited by capacity and budget constraints, Grand said. And Meloni announced new military aid in late February during a visit to Kyiv.
Still, Grand said, “as the fourth-largest European power, one would expect Italy to be punching a little bit above their current share of all of this.”
The Washington Post’s Loveday Morris, Kate Brady, Adam Taylor and Serhiy Morgunov contributed to this report.
