MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's "European tour" was needed to spur Western partners, who begin to look tired of never-ending support to Kiev, the deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries, Vladimir Zharikhin, told TASS on Tuesday.

On May 14, Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Before that he visited Berlin, Rome and the Vatican. On Monday, Zelensky held talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said that London would support Kiev's efforts to build a coalition of countries ready to supply the Ukrainian authorities with F-16 fighter jets. London also said Kiev would receive hundreds of pieces of ammunition for anti-aircraft missile systems and hundreds of strike drones with a range of more than 200 kilometers "in the coming months."

"It has become boring for them [the Europeans] to push ahead with assistance to Ukraine, the Americans believe. They [the Europeans] have to be sort of spurred on. Zelensky went to give them a boost to raise the support of the most radical pro-Ukrainian part of the population and to persuade it to put pressure on their superiors. Support (from European countries to Ukraine - TASS) has not weakened, it is continuing, but somehow without much enthusiasm. The Europeans have to be forced to go ahead with it. That is what his 'tour' was all about," Zharikhin said.

In the expert's opinion, Germany, which, as the Ukrainian president remarked during his visit to Berlin, has sent to Kiev the largest package of military aid, is most tired of the current situation.

"I do not think that a significant part of the population is delighted with the fact that Germany, although indirectly, through hybrid warfare, is involved in a military conflict with Russia," Zharikhin explained.

As the expert noted, in his conversations with European leaders Zelensky not only constantly asks them to give Ukraine more weapons, but also never misses the chance to try to persuade them to let his country join NATO.

"Actually, the way I see it, Ukraine's presence in NATO would be disadvantageous to the Americans. Because then it would be tantamount to collective administration of Ukraine. Decisions then would have to be taken by consensus, while now decisions are taken by the United States unilaterally," he continued.

NATO membership is unnecessary to turn the country into a US military base, the expert pointed out. Besides, an ordinary bilateral treaty does not bind the US with obligations to fight for Ukraine, while the fifth article of the NATO Charter would require that, if Kiev was a member of the alliance.

"The US has no such obligation and it is not going to assume it with respect to Ukraine," the expert concluded.

Zelensky in Europe

Zelensky himself said that during his visits to Italy, Germany, France and Britain important agreements were reached regarding military support for Ukraine, while the priority of his visits to European capitals was "preparation for active operations of the Ukrainian armed forces on the frontline."

In addition, he said, during the meetings "talks continued on the creation of a coalition of fighter jets for Ukraine as well as on preparations for the NATO summit in Vilnius," to be held in July.

Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, said on Tuesday that Zelensky's "arms tour" showed the intention of the West, especially Britain, to facilitate further escalation of the Ukrainian conflict.