By Canadian Press

French, German, Italian leaders on their way to Kyiv

Jun 15, 2022 | 11:21 PM

PARIS (AP) — The French presidency said Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Premier Mario Draghi were on their way to Kyiv.

The Europeans leaders are expected to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they prepare for a key European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels next week and a June 29-30 NATO summit in Madrid. France currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

The French presidency did not provide other details.

On Tuesday, during a trip to Ukraine’s neighbors Romania and Moldova, Macron said a “message of support” must be sent to Ukraine before EU heads of state and government “have to make important decisions” at their Brussels meeting. The leaders are scheduled to consider Ukraine’s request for EU candidate status.

“We are in a moment where we need to send clear political signals — we, Europeans, we the European Union — toward Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he said.

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Macron is deeply involved in diplomatic efforts to push for a cease-fire in Ukraine that would allow future peace negotiations.

He has frequent discussions with Zelenskyy and has spoken on the phone several times with Russian President Vladimir Putin since Putin launched the invasion in late February.

The Associated Press