'Zelensky said the goal of his current trip in Western capitals was to create a so-called fighter jet coalition'
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Transcript
00:00 Good evening, Rochelle.
00:01 Well, this meeting was highly symbolic.
00:03 It was the first visit of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Berlin, to Olaf Scholz.
00:08 He also met President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
00:11 And why is it important?
00:12 Well, because since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, relations with Germany have been
00:18 a little bit complicated.
00:19 First, it was -- you know, the German support was criticized for not being enough at the
00:25 very -- on the very onset of the full-scale invasion, even if Germany had pledged over
00:30 a billion euros in military aid.
00:35 It had blocked the way to the delivery of Leopard tanks.
00:39 And it was overall -- the communication was overall quite difficult.
00:43 Then, in the last few months, relations have really warmed up with Germany delivering at
00:51 last the much-awaited Leopard tanks, which Ukraine was asking for, and starting a so-called
00:59 tank coalition with other Western allies of Ukraine.
01:03 And now we've seen with that latest aid package, it's 2.7 billion euros aid -- military aid
01:10 package, including more Marder infantry fighting vehicles, more Leopard 1 tanks, four Ares
01:20 air defense systems, which are so important because shelling continues every day over
01:25 Ukraine.
01:26 So we can see that Volodymyr Zelensky got what he wanted from Germany.
01:30 But this visit is also diplomatically very important and a strong signal that the relation
01:35 between Berlin and Kiev is closer than ever.
01:38 Well, as you say there, Emanuelle, Berlin and Kiev getting their relationship back on
01:42 track, you might say, after some diplomatic discord.
01:46 We know that on leaving Berlin, President Zelensky will be heading here to the French
01:50 capital.
01:51 What do we think is on the agenda for this trip that's been announced by diplomatic sources
01:56 this evening?
01:57 Well, I think it's quite similar to what happened in Berlin.
02:04 It's about continuing to maintain the strong relationship between allies, this time between
02:10 Kiev and Paris.
02:11 This is the second such visit to Paris.
02:13 The first one took place last February.
02:16 Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, was actually also in Paris at the time.
02:21 And Volodymyr Zelensky said that the goal of his current trip in Western capitals was
02:28 to create a so-called fighter jets coalition, very much like the tank coalition I was just
02:35 mentioning before.
02:36 The goal for Ukraine is not to reinforce its air, not only air defense, but also the capacity
02:46 to fight this war from the air as well, so as to neutralize aggressors' position quicker.