Macron will receive Zelensky at the Elysee Palace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on Friday as part of an official visit to France.

In the morning, Zelensky is expected to first meet Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and then visit the KNDS defense company in Versailles.

The Élysée Palace announced that the company intends to create a weapons production unit in Ukraine itself to support the country in its defense against Russia.

Zelensky’s other stops on Friday include the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, in the morning, where the Ukrainian president plans to address lawmakers. He should also be received by Mayor Anne Hidalgo at City Hall.

Zelensky arrived in France on Thursday and took part in the commemoration of D-Day, the Allied landing in Normandy 80 years ago during World War II.

Macron announced that during Zelensky’s visit he intended to comment on the issue of a possible sending of French military trainers to Ukraine.

The possibility of sending Western military trainers to the war zone to provide more effective support to the Ukrainian army, which has been under pressure, has been repeatedly discussed recently. Officially, there are no such training programs to date.

It remains to be seen whether France will actually decide to take this step alone or with partners. In February, Macron raised the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine, which he did not want to rule out, sparking a heated debate among Western NATO allies.