After the United Kingdom, it is France’s turn to become more actively involved in kyiv. French Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will sign a security agreement between their two countries on Friday at the Elysée, the French presidency announced on Thursday.
“This agreement follows the commitments that were made in G7 format on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023,” recalled the Elysée.
NATO leaders did not then set a timetable for Ukraine’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance, to the great dismay of Kiev, but the G7 countries committed to providing military support “on the long term” in order to help it combat the current Russian offensive but also to deter Moscow from any future attacks against its neighbor.
An agreement with Sunak
The UK was the first to reach such a deal during a visit by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to kyiv on January 12. Until now, the countries of the European Union had not taken the plunge. The Ukrainian presidency announced Thursday that Volodymyr Zelensky would travel to Berlin on Friday in addition to Paris.
Ukraine is continuing negotiations with a series of other states, from Italy to the United States. Other countries have also joined the G7 initiative, from Poland to Scandinavia.
“As Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine enters its third year” on February 24, France thus reaffirms its “determination to continue to provide, over the long term and with all of its partners, unwavering support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” underlines the Elysée.
Granting of modern military equipment
These security commitments may relate to the provision of modern military equipment, interoperable with that of NATO, the training of Ukrainian soldiers or the strengthening of the Ukrainian defense industry. So much unwelcome support for the Kremlin, which had already judged in July that such guarantees would “undermine Russia’s security”.
The situation is currently difficult on the ground for the Ukrainians who lack men and weapons, while a new American aid package is blocked in Congress.
This is the third visit of the Ukrainian president to Paris since the start of the war, after those of February and May 2023. The two leaders will notably have “the opportunity to discuss the situation on the front, the needs of the “Ukraine on the military, economic and humanitarian levels as well as negotiations for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, to which France provides its full support”, specifies the Elysée.
Emmanuel Macron, for his part, said in mid-January during a press conference that he would go to Ukraine “in February”. When questioned, his entourage assured that he would go to Ukraine soon, without further details.