Latest news from Russia’s war in Ukraine: European leaders travel to Kyiv

Video summary of the war Ukraine – Russia: June 15 14:03 (CNN Spanish) — While Russia intensifies its attacks in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymir Zelensky will receive strong political support this Thursday with the arrival in Kyiv of the leaders of Germany, France and Italy. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi traveled to the city by train, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Thursday. See the most important news of the war this Thursday. The leaders of France, Germany and Italy arrive in Kyiv to meet with Zelensky French President Emmanuel Macron (centre); German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (left) board a Kyiv-bound train after leaving Poland on June 16, 2022. (LUDOVIC MARIN/ POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Three high-level European leaders arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Thursday amid the war with Russia, CNN’s team on the ground confirmed. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi traveled to the city by train, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Thursday. Speaking to journalists on the platform when he arrived in Kyiv, Macron said the leaders will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visit the site of an alleged massacre. Asked if he had a message for Ukrainians, Macron said he has a “message of European unity addressed to Ukrainian men and women.” “The next few weeks, we know, are going to be very difficult,” he said. “I want to support them and be by his side.” As if to remind them that they were visiting a country terrorized by an unprovoked attack, air raid sirens sounded shortly after the three leaders arrived at their hotel in central Kyiv. Although all three countries have promised weapons to help Ukraine’s defense against Russia, Zelensky has made no secret that he believes they are not doing enough. He has been especially critical of Scholz and Macron, going so far as to suggest that both leaders were trying to appease Russian President Vladimir Putin. “[Scholz] and his government must choose not to make a balancing act between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but choose what their priority is,” Zelensky told German broadcaster ZDF earlier this week. Zelensky has also had harsh words for Macron. The president The French government has tried to present itself as both an ally of Ukraine and an honest broker with Russia. Macron, in an interview earlier this month, said “we must not humiliate Russia so that the day the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp by diplomatic means. “I am convinced that France’s role is to be a mediating power.” Zelensky told the Financial Times that “to be a leader, you don’t have to think of yourself as one, you have to behave as one.” Russia expected to take Kyiv within 12 hours and presidential offices within 72 hours, says Ukraine The Russian military expected Kyiv to fall within 12 hours of the Feb. 24 invasion, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told CNN’s Matthew Chance. in an exclusive interview in Brussels. According to Reznikov, a document of a Russian military man, killed in the invasion, was found, in which the Russian military objectives were indicated. “They thought they would be in the center of Kyiv in 12 hours,” he said the document read. The Russians naively foresaw that within 72 hours the Ukrainian government would flee the capital, Reznikov said. “Frankly, our partners in the different capitals of the world were also naive. They told us that the invasion was imminent, and that you would fall. You only have 72 hours. That’s why they didn’t give us heavy weapons.” Only after Ukraine liberated the Kyiv region in late March did Western partners start providing Ukraine with heavier weapons, he said. Look at the power of M-4 rifles donated by the United States to Ukraine 2:44 Western military support “will never stop” During the interview, Reznikov also said that Western defense officials told him that their military support for Ukraine “will never stop.” The official said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and other Western officials told him: “Oleksiy, don’t worry, we won’t stop. We will continue to help your country, your people and your president,” he said. “I heard it yesterday and I felt it with absolute sincerity, I saw Lloyd Austin’s eyes, for example… I saw the real realization that they will never stop,” Reznikov said, when asked if America’s long-term commitment with Ukraine is sustainable. He affirmed that the promises of the United States and the West are not only of military support, but also financial, economic and political. “I believe that [los aliados occidentales] they have decided they want to be partners in this victory,” Reznikov said. The Ukrainian defense minister told CNN that Western allies now understand that the idea of ​​not provoking Russia to avoid conflict does not work. NATO now sees Russia as as an adversary and not as a strategic partner, he said.”I am sure that Russia is the main threat to NATO, the EU countries and the main threat to the global security system,” he said.China will support Russia in matters security, Xi tells Putin in his birthday call Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated his support for Moscow on “sovereignty and security” in a call with his counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, maintaining his support for the association of countries despite the global backlash against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.On his 69th birthday, Xi also pledged to deepen strategic coordination between the two countries, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The separate Kremlin reading said the two leaders stressed that their countries’ relations “were at a critical point” and reaffirmed their commitment to “consistently deepen the comprehensive partnership.” The call is believed to be the second time the two leaders have spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine. They also spoke just days after Moscow launched what it insists it calls a “special military operation.” Moscow plans to reopen Mariupol Drama Theater 0:44 China has also refrained from referring to Russia’s actions as an invasion and has walked a fine line on the issue. It has been presented as a call for peace and the defense of world order, while refusing to denounce Russia’s actions. It has also used its state media apparatus to mimic Kremlin lines blaming the United States and NATO for the crisis. During Wednesday’s call, Xi stressed that China had always “independently assessed the situation” in Ukraine and called on “all parties” to push for a “proper solution to the Ukrainian crisis,” echoing the language he used in a March call with US President Joe Biden. China is “willing to continue to play its role” in promoting a “proper solution” for Ukraine, he said. The Kremlin’s summary of the call took this position a step further, saying: “China’s president noted the legitimacy of Russia’s actions to protect core national interests in the face of challenges to its security created by external forces.”