POLITICO: Macron exchanged the evening with his wife for Zelensky

Moscow, February 15 – The meeting between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and France’s Emmanuel Macron nearly ended because of the French leader’s plans to go on stage with his wife, Politico writes.

“When Zelensky left Ukraine to visit Western leaders last week, the Elysee Palace did not issue an official invitation — and the meeting with Macron almost fell through. The French president originally intended to spend the evening at the theater with his wife.

It was only when Macron’s aides saw the video of Zelensky’s earnest speech at London’s Westminster Hall that they rushed to send out an invitation and arrange a late-night visit to Paris, the article notes.

Last week, Zelensky made a short tour of European countries, during which he met with prominent politicians.

In particular, during a speech in the British Parliament last Wednesday, he personally requested combat aircraft from London. Then he flew to Paris, where he met with his French colleague Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, who had specially come from Germany. After the Paris meeting, Zelensky — with Macron — went to Brussels to speak in the European Parliament and at an EU summit, where he thanked the bloc’s leaders and again called for more weapons, including combat aircraft, to be moved to Kiev.