Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a ceasefire with Russia was not under discussion with European allies, on Thursday, October 10, and urged more Western support ahead of a tough winter during his lightning tour of four capitals.
Zelensky was seeking a military and financial boost during a 48-hour trip to London, Paris, Rome and Berlin, amid fears of dwindling support if Donald Trump becomes US president next month.
Speaking to reporters after talks with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Zelensky denied media reports that he was discussing the terms of a ceasefire with Russia. "This is not the topic of our discussions," he said. "It's not right. Russia works a lot with media disinformation so it (such reports) is understandable," he added. Zelensky has rejected any peace plan that involves ceding land to Russia, arguing Moscow must first withdraw all troops from Ukrainian territory.
Zelensky also said he and Macron had discussed Kyiv's "victory plan" to defeat Russia, expressing gratitude to the French president for all his support. "Before winter we need your support," he added, acknowledging "a difficult situation in the east" and a "big deficit" in terms of some equipment.
Without elaborating, Macron said Zelensky had outlined Ukraine's "plan for the next weeks" and the pair had discussed strategy for the "next weeks and months." Macron emphasized that he had reaffirmed France's support "for the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion."
The talks came after Macron on Wednesday made a highly unusual visit to a military camp in eastern France, the precise location of which was not disclosed, to meet part of a brigade of Ukrainian troops France is training.
Zelensky arrived in Paris from London, where he had had talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO chief Mark Rutte. Speaking after his Downing Street meeting, Zelensky said he had "outlined the details of our victory plan," adding that it "aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war."
The meeting, Starmer said, had been a chance to "go through the plan, to talk in more detail."
Zelensky maintains that Ukraine desperately needs more aid to fight back after Russia captured dozens of small towns and villages in the east. He is also pushing for clearance to use long-range weapons supplied by allies, including British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, to strike military targets deep inside Russia. Washington and London have stalled on giving approval, over fears it could draw NATO allies into direct conflict with Russia. Zelensky said he had raised the subject at the Downing Street meeting.
Rutte told reporters "legally, that is possible because legally, Ukraine is allowed to use its weapons, if they can hit targets in Russia, if these targets present a threat to Ukraine." Yet he added: "Whether individual allies do, that's in the end, always up to individual allies."
Rutte and Britain cautioned against placing too much focus on long-range missiles. "No war has ever been won by a single weapon," Starmer's spokesman said. The talks were instead about "the range of support" for Ukraine.
A planned meeting of Ukraine's allies in Germany on Saturday was postponed after US President Joe Biden called off his visit to focus on the threat of Hurricane Milton.