Former Russian president and staunch Vladimir Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev derided French, German and Italian leaders who visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as “fans of frogs, liverwurst, and spaghetti.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived Thurday in the Ukrainian capital by train from Poland for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Along with the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, they took the opportunity to announce that they were backing giving Ukraine candidate status in view of becoming a member of the European Union (EU).

This prompted Medvedev, a strong ally of Putin, and who served as the president of Russia from 2008 to 2012 and as its prime minister from 2012 to 2020, to say on Twitter:

“European fans of frogs, liverwurst, and spaghetti love visiting Kiev.

“With zero use. Promised EU membership and old howitzers to Ukraine, lushed up on gorilka* and went home by train, like 100 years ago. All is well. Yet, it won’t bring Ukraine closer to peace. The clock’s ticking”.

Macron, Scholz, and Draghi, representing the leaders of the EU’s three largest economies, were given a tour of Irpin, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital where atrocities were allegedly carried out by Russian troops – an accusation Moscow disputes – before sitting down for talks with Zelensky at Kyiv’s presidential Mariinsky Palace.

• In a joint press conference, Macron said: “All four of us support the status of immediate candidate for accession (to the EU).”

European fans of frogs, liverwurst and spaghetti love visiting Kiev. With zero use. Promised EU membership and old howitzers to Ukraine, lushed up on gorilka and went home by train, like 100 years ago. All is well. Yet, it won’t bring Ukraine closer to peace. The clock’s ticking

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) June 16, 2022

Macron also said: “Irpin in Ukraine. We saw the devastated city and the stigmata of barbarism. And the heroism, too, of the Ukrainians who stopped the Russian army as it descended on Kyiv. Ukraine resists. She must be able to win.”

“Like Butscha, Irpin has long since become a symbol for the unimaginable cruelty of the Russian war, for senseless violence. The brutal destruction in this city is a memorial – this war must end,” Scholz said.

“No words to describe the unimaginable human tragedy and horrible destructions we saw today in Irpin. I strongly renew my appeal for all Russian perpetrators to be held responsible by the international criminal justice, which Romania fully supports,” Iohannis said.

Zelensky later said: “Busy day. Important meetings. Pleased to meet President of France Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi and President of Romania Klaus Iohannis in Kyiv! We appreciate your solidarity with our country and people.”

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on June 8 recommending that the EU grant Ukraine the status of candidate country for membership. In the balloting, 438 members of the parliament voted in favor of the resolution, with 65 voting against and 94 abstaining.

• Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation” to “liberate the Donbas.” Friday marks the 114th day of the invasion.

Source: Zenger News via Newsweek

Notes:

• *The original Ukrainian word for vodka is gorilka (pronounced horylka).