'Ukraine will be looking to prove to Western leaders that this aid is having a tangible effect'
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00:00 Exactly. Last minute as always given the security situation. Can't say well ahead of time.
00:08 We know that, well, as you say, Zelensky has just met with Prime Minister Elisabeth Bonne.
00:13 Here at the Elysee he will be having a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron. The
00:18 Elysee says this will be an operational dinner where the two leaders will talk military strategy
00:24 so France knows what Ukraine needs and when. The timing is very important because this
00:30 comes just days before the G7 summit in Japan. France looking to have a coordinated response
00:37 with those leaders so this information is very important. They'll be looking to put
00:41 Ukraine in the best position possible as it tries to mount its counter offensive against
00:46 Russia. Just days ago Zelensky said that Ukraine was not yet ready to mount this operation
00:54 and we know that today Volodymyr Zelensky had visited Germany where Berlin pledged 2.7
01:01 billion euros worth of weapons so Ukraine will be looking to prove to Western leaders,
01:07 to Western countries that this aid is having a tangible effect on the battlefield. As for
01:13 France the Elysee has said that pledging new military support is not at the heart of this
01:20 meeting. It's more talking strategy, clarifying the calendar and so we don't expect any big
01:28 announcements tonight. This is Zelensky's second visit to Paris. He earlier came in
01:33 February when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Paris as well. Zelensky did ask for
01:40 fighter jets at the time. We know he did not get them so we'll see tonight but we do know
01:47 that Emmanuel Macron will be reaffirming France's support for Ukraine in this war. So Carys,
01:53 no big support packages expected this evening but France has been playing a big role haven't
01:58 they during this war with Ukraine. How important an ally has it been for Volodymyr Zelensky?
02:06 Well the Elysee would say that Macron is Volodymyr Zelensky's closest ally. It says that he's
02:11 always there, first to call when there's tough times. We do know that even before the war
02:16 he tried to play, well he played an integral role in trying to defuse tensions, visiting
02:22 Moscow and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And since the war began he
02:30 has led EU efforts, notably for example leading the way for the delivery of heavy tanks to
02:38 Ukraine. He's also pushed, or is trying to push for so-called neutral countries to show
02:44 their own support. When he visited China, Emmanuel Macron visited China recently. After
02:51 he spoke, he visited Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi Jinping did call Volodymyr Zelensky
02:59 so the Elysee would say that is linked. We can't say for sure it is but it's true that
03:09 the Elysee is trying to really show its support both as part of the European Union but also
03:14 as France as a whole.