Medvedev launches bizarre rant at ‘fans of frogs’ as Macron and EU leaders visit Ukraine

Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, said the trip by EU leaders would have ‘zero use’

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, and a former President of Russia (AP)

A former Russian president has launched a bizarre rant on Twitter as French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, visited Ukraine on Thursday

Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, said on Twitter that “fans of frogs”, “liverwurst” and “spaghetti” were visiting the country’s capital of Kyiv.

He added that the trip would have “zero use” and that the weapons that European powers have been supplying Ukrainian forces were “old howitzers”.

Medvedev, who is also a former prime minister of Russia, mocked the idea Ukraine would become a member of the EU and predicted the meeting “won’t bring Ukraine closer to peace”.

The full tweet said: “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 [vodka] 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.”

The trio of EU leaders arrived in Kyiv after taking an overnight train provided by the Ukrainian authorities.

They the intention of the trip was to send a “message of unity” ahead of talks with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Prior to the meeting the three took a trip to visit the devastated town of Irpin which is the alleged location of war crimes by Russian troops.

Macron denounced the “barbarism” of Russian attacks in Ukraine praised the courage of Irpin residents and others nearby who had helped thwart attempts to overrun the capital.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.