PARIS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Paris on Monday for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, the Elysée Palace said.
The two leaders will meet as Zelenskyy’s government is engulfed in a damaging corruption scandal over allegations that the president’s associates had plotted to skim around $100 million from Ukraine’s energy sector as the country’s citizens suffer from blackouts caused by Russian attacks against infrastructure.
Macron and Zelenskyy will discuss issues relating to bilateral relations, energy, the economy and defense, according to the statement from the French presidency. The visit will also be an opportunity to “reaffirm France’s long-term commitment for Ukraine” and “maintain the drive for security guarantees” offered by the coalition of the willing led by the French and the British.
An Elysée official, granted anonymity as is often standard professional practice, said the two countries would work to further cement ties between their respective defense industries.
When asked about the corruption scandal, the official said that the relationship between Paris and Kyiv is built on “trust and honesty” and that the Ukrainians “know what France requires of them.”
France will continue to “specify what its expectations are: transparency and a thorough effort to improve anti-corruption work,” the official said.
The allegations come as Kyiv faces a budget crunch next year and is seeking to secure desperately needed funds from the European Union. Brussels wants to use Russian frozen assets as a “reparation loan” to Ukraine, but still needs to convince Belgium, where most of the assets are held.
Presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said Zelenskyy was “not corrupt” and a”very principled person” in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, to which POLITICO belongs.
EU allies, however, want reassurances that Kyiv is doing what it can to tackle corruption. On Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin expects “Ukraine to press ahead with anti-corruption measures and reforms,” after a call with the Ukrainian president.
Victor Goury-Laffont contributed to this report.
