Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues his European tour in Berlin and Paris on Sunday, May 14. While he’ve been greeted with ovations by European leaders, Ukrainian army claims to be advancing around Bakhmut.

Ukraine is fighting for Europe’s freedom and values, EU leaders said Sunday, as they handed this year’s award for service towards European unity to the war-torn country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people.

“Ukraine incarnates everything the European idea is living for: the courage of convictions, the fight for values and freedom, the commitment to peace and unity,” said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the Charlemagne award ceremony in the western city of Aachen.

For Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russia’s war on its neighbour has “cemented one clear realisation: Ukraine is part of our European family”.

Zelensky turned up in person to pick up the prize while on his first trip to Germany since Russia’s invasion.

His German visit came a day after he met Italian leaders and Pope Francis in Rome. Later on Sunday, he landed in Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The later shortly afterwards welcomed Zelensky to the Elysee Palace, for the second time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

The French leader’s office said the pair would discuss France’s “support” in responding to “Ukraine’s urgent military and humanitarian needs” during a dinner at the presidential palace.

Macron said Sunday in an interview with the newspaper L’Opinion that Russia had already “lost geopolitically” the war in Ukraine, and entered a “form of vassalization to China.

Zelensky won long standing ovations at the Aachen ceremony, during which EU leaders also vowed to support Ukraine along its road to joining the bloc.

Berlin on Saturday unveiled a new military package for Kyiv worth 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), its biggest yet for Ukraine and hailed by Zelensky as a “powerful support”.

Ukrainian forces have been training troops and stockpiling Western-supplied munitions and hardware that analysts say will be key to reclaiming territory captured by Russia.

Early on in the conflict, Kyiv had accused Germany of being too accommodating to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Berlin’s reliance on Russian energy had proved tricky.

On the front line, Kyiv said Ukrainian forces have captured more than ten Russian positions on the outskirts of the flashpoint town of Bakhmut.

Separately, Russia admitted that two of its military commanders had been killed in combat near the town where fighting has been raging for days.

Malo Pinatel with AFP