After more than two years since his last appearance by videoconference, the Ukrainian President will personally visit the National Assembly on Friday 7 June to deliver a speech. During his visit to France for the D-Day commemorations, Volodymyr Zelensky will address the National Assembly, as announced by the President of the Palais Bourbon in a press release published on Tuesday

He will be welcomed at 9.30am by Yaël Braun-Pivet, in line with his commitment to date, and will give a speech lasting around 20 minutes at 9.50am, according to the same source.

This speech will form part of his visit to France, during which he will meet Emmanuel Macron to discuss Ukraine’s needs. In particular, they will discuss the situation on the ground and Ukraine’s needs, following on from the Ukraine Support Conference held at the Élysée Palace on 26 February.

At that time, Emmanuel Macron announced measures to supply more weapons to Kiev and did not rule out the possibility of sending soldiers to Ukraine, which provoked controversy among his allies and outrage in Russia.

Further announcements are expected during Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Paris, while discussions are underway about sending French military instructors to Ukraine. The project of a European coalition of instructors to train Ukrainian troops is being discussed between EU member states, but it still seems far from being finalised, with many countries fearing Russian reprisals.

On Friday morning, the Ukrainian president will be welcomed at Les Invalides by Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu with military honours, before visiting with him a site of the Franco-German arms group KNDS in Versailles, near Paris.