French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the “barbarism” of Russian soldiers as he toured a war-ravaged town near Kyiv and said there was evidence of war crimes.
Surrounded by a security detail, Mr Macron was shown the devastation wreaked on Irpin earlier in the war, as its residents fought hard to stop Kremlin troops from reaching Ukraine’s capital.
Speaking while on a visit with the leaders of Germany and Italy – which will include a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – he decried the “massacres” carried out by Russian forces.
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The trio have been criticised for not visiting Kyiv sooner and not providing Ukraine with the scale of weaponry it has been asking for.
Mr Macron’s call for Russia not to be humiliated earlier this month was also not well received.
The visit comes as Russian forces continue to hammer Ukrainian defensive positions in Severodonetsk as it seeks to tighten its grip on territory in the south and east of the country.
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Mr Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Premier Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv on Thursday morning to the sound of air raid sirens and were met by Romanian President Klaus Iohanni.
As he left a hotel, the French leader put his hand on his heart and said: “I want to show my admiration for the Ukrainian people.”
“It’s a message of European unity for the Ukrainian people, support now and in the future, because the weeks to come will be very difficult,” Mr Macron also said.
The visit by the European leaders has been seen as an attempt to repair relations with President Zelenskyy amid hopes in some quarters that it could mark a turning point and open the way to significant new arms supplies.
Further meetings with sympathetic leaders have been hinted at by the Ukrainian president, who recently spoke with UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
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Why is Severodonetsk a key city?
Bridges destroyed near Severodonetsk
On the front lines, fierce fighting continues in the key factory city of Severodonetsk, the last remaining part of the Luhansk region still under Ukrainian control.
In its latest intelligence update, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said all main bridges over the nearby Siverskyy Donets River, which link Severodonetsk and Ukrainian-held territory, have now “highly likely been destroyed”.
The MoD added: “With the bridges highly likely destroyed, Russia will now likely need to either conduct a contested river crossing or advance on its currently stalled flanks to turn tactical gain into operational advantage.”
