Zelensky speaks with Macron, von der Leyen, discusses anti-corruption, defense, EU integration
President Volodymyr Zelensky held separate phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on July 27, discussing anti-corruption, defense, and EU integration.
"Spoke with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. We discussed many issues: the European integration of Ukraine, further strengthening of sanctions against Russia, and the work of our anti-corruption infrastructure," Zelensky said.
"We discussed in detail our path of European integration. We agreed to work on finding solutions that will allow us to open the first negotiation cluster in the near future. It is important that Ukraine and Moldova continue to move in sync," Zelensky said of his conversation with Macron.
The discussions with the European leaders come as Ukraine stripped its key anti-corruption institutions, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) of their independence on July 22, citing Russian interference.
A bill was later introduced by Zelensky to reinstate the independence of NABU and SAPO amid widespread protests and concerns from Ukraine's allies.
Zelensky and von der Leyen discussed the new bill and other anti-corruption efforts needed to fulfill Ukraine's EU accession criteria and receive funding under the Ukraine Facility, a grant initiative that supports Ukraine's economy and reconstruction efforts.
The president thanked von der Leyen for the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia, adding that Ukraine has implemented the sanctions as well.
Macron and Zelensky further discussed Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts in a separate phone call the same day.
"We also talked about the work of Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure, which is fully operational. The presidential bill guarantees the independence and effectiveness of anti-corruption bodies and prevents Russian influence on them," Zelensky said of his conversation with Macron.
Meanwhile, the two leaders continued to discuss defense and military training as Russia continues to wage its war against Ukraine.
"We need reliable protection against Russian missiles and drones. We talked about supplying additional missiles for the SAMP/T and Crotale systems," Zelensky said.
The two leaders discussed working together with France to fund Ukrainian drone production and continue training Ukrainian pilots to fly French Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
Macron and Zelensky discussed Ukraine's recent peace talks with Russia in Turkey, in which Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a new prisoner exchange but were otherwise inconclusive.
"We are awaiting a response regarding our proposal to hold a meeting at the highest level by the end of August. Representatives of Europe must definitely be present at it," Zelensky said.
A third round of peace talks to end Russia's war took place in Istanbul on July 23, with the meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations lasting less than an hour as Moscow continues to issue maximalist demands.
