The visit of the French, German and Italian leaders was long awaited by Kyiv. It comes on the eve of a long-awaited recommendation by the European Commission on whether or not to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership.

“We are now as close to official EU candidate status as we could have dreamed of just a few years ago. Ukraine did everything to become a candidate,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

>> The 12:45 report:

The timing of Macron, Scholz and Draghi’s visit is no coincidence. It is easier for them to come to Ukraine before the Commission’s decision. In the coming days there will be a lot of talk about the division of Europeans in the relationship between the EU and Ukraine. It is possible that conditions will be demanded for Kiev’s candidate status. All of this runs the risk of being poorly perceived in Ukraine.

to impress

This visit should therefore leave an impression. This is particularly clear in the pictures published on Thursday, which show the leaders of the three most important economic powers of the EU, together with Volodymyr Zelenskyj on site.

>> The statements in the 12:45 of the correspondent of the RTS in Brussels:

Weapons deliveries from the West to Ukraine are also on the agenda. The issue is sensitive for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who wants to spare Russia, whose Germany is heavily dependent on gas. To date, none of the heavy weapons promised by Germany to Ukraine have been delivered.

>> The details from 12:30 p.m.: