French President Emmanuel Macron praised the heroism of Ukraine’s army and people and said that there were “traces of barbarism” from Russian forces after a visit to the Ukrainian town of Irpin, which was the closest Russian troops got to Kyiv in the early stages of the war. He and other European leaders visited the town before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian prime minister Mario Draghi and Macron arrived in Kyiv after an overnight train journey from Poland. The three leaders were greeted with air raid sirens in the Ukrainian capital, as Russia continued to strike targets across the country. Scholz said Russia’s war of “unimaginable cruelty” and “senseless violence” in Ukraine must end. Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis also visited Irpin with them, and is expected to join them later for talks with the Ukrainian leader.
