Zelensky to meet German Chancellor Scholz during Berlin visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Friday, his office in Kiev said.

A visit to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron is also planned, his office said in a post on Telegram on Thursday.

Zelensky is expected to sign bilateral security agreements with Germany and France during his visits to Paris and Berlin.

The agreements go back to the NATO summit in Lithuania in July, when leaders of the alliance agreed that individual NATO countries would pursue long-term security agreements with Ukraine.

Ukraine, which is waging a bloody battle against Russia's ongoing invasion, is seeking to join NATO but has not yet been given a timeline for potential membership.

Zelensky is then set to attend the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, a gathering that brings together global leaders and many top experts on security and defence policy. Zelensky is due to give a speech at the conference and meet other leaders, including US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Zelensky has also explicitly announced meetings with Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said that the security deal between France and Ukraine would be signed in Paris during Zelensky's visit on Friday.

The Élysée Palace, however, did not provide any further details about the content of the agreement on Thursday.

A month ago, Macron had promised Ukraine a support agreement similar to the one that the United Kingdom previously signed with Kiev.

The agreement between the UK and Ukraine stipulates that London will support Ukraine now and also in any future conflicts with Russia. The deal involves rapid and long-term military assistance, but does not call for the deployment of British soldiers.

When Macron and Zelensky meet, the French president plans to emphasize again that France is determined to support Ukraine in the long term.

The two leaders are also due to discuss the situation on the front, the status of Ukraine's effort to join the European Union as well as Ukraine's military, economic and humanitarian needs.