The French Minister for the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, said this Wednesday, December 28, during his first trip to kyiv, that he wanted to work to meet Ukrainian military needs “for the weeks to come”. For his part, the head of Russian diplomacy said he was “convinced” that Russia would achieve its objectives in Ukraine by dint of “patience” and “stubbornness”, in particular the recognition of four Ukrainian regions of which Moscow claims the annexation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday appointed a new coordinator for the Black Sea Grains Initiative, an agreement between the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey that since July has eased the global food crisis.
- According to Lavrov, Moscow will achieve its goals
“I am convinced that thanks to our stubbornness, our patience and our determination, we will defend our noble goals, those vital for our people and our country,” Sergei Lavrov said in an interview broadcast Wednesday on Russian television. Pervy Canal. “This while always remaining open to fair dialogue and agreements to ensure equal and indivisible security in Europe,” he continued.
Like the Kremlin before, he nevertheless recalled that the resumption of a dialogue with kyiv necessarily required recognition, by Ukraine, of the annexation by Russia of four Ukrainian regions (Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporijjia, Kherson). “An inalienable part of these conditions (to find a diplomatic solution, editor’s note) is that the four regions belong to the Russian Federation”, affirmed Sergei Lavrov, specifying that Moscow should “of course” conquer the whole of these four territories which are currently not fully controlled by the Russian military.
These regions “must be freed from the threat of Nazification which they have endured for many years”, added Sergei Lavrov, taking up the justifications of the Kremlin which ensures that the Russian-speaking populations of Ukraine must be protected against supposed ” Nazis” in power in kyiv. “We are in no hurry, as Russian President Vladimir Putin said. We want to end as quickly as possible this war that the West has prepared and unleashed against us via Ukraine,” Sergei Lavrov added on television. Russian.
- The French Minister of the Armed Forces promises to further help Ukraine
“Presidents (Volodymyr) Zelensky and (Emmanuel) Macron have asked (…) to make them proposals for the month of January to redefine a” common agenda on French military support, Sébastien Lecornu said during a conference. press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksiï Reznikov. He said he had discussions with the Ukrainian minister on the “tactical and strategic situation” on the ground and on “the needs of the Ukrainian army for the weeks to come”. The French minister met Volodymyr Zelensky during a working meeting at midday.
According to a press release from the Ukrainian presidency, “Volodymyr Zelensky informed Mr. Lecornu of the situation at the front and the urgent defense needs” of the Ukrainian army. “Other practical measures to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities with the support of France were discussed,” it also read. In front of the press, the French minister mentioned “the innovative fund of 200 million euros” which allows Ukraine to buy equipment directly from French industrialists, according to Ukraine’s priorities to deal with the Russian army.
Another topic of discussion between the two leaders: the problem of repairs to Western military equipment damaged on the battlefield. “The maintenance of what has already been given to Ukraine is just as important as new equipment,” said Sébastien Lecornu. “The fight and anti-aircraft defense”, “artillery systems like the Caesars” (French), the supply of ammunition and armored vehicles, as well as the fight “against Iranian drones” are currently among the priorities of the Ukrainian army, argued Oleksiï Reznikov. Paris has said it is considering supplying kyiv with more surface-to-air missiles.
During the day, Sébastien Lecornu had laid a wreath in front of the “Wall of Heroes”, a memorial in kyiv dedicated to soldiers killed on the front since 2014.
- Cereals in the Black Sea: a new coordinator for the UN
The Sudanese Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, in office since August, is replaced by the Kuwaiti Abdullah Abdul Samad Dashti, a retired admiral of the armed forces of his country, announced in a press release the spokesperson for the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres. “The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Abdulla for his oversight, hard work and commitment to implementing the Initiative, especially in difficult times,” the UN Secretary-General’s office said.
His successor, Abdullah Abdul Samad Dashti, a career soldier in the navy, was also in recent years Kuwait’s military attaché in Belgium and his country’s representative to NATO. This Black Sea Grain Initiative (the official name of the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports from Ukrainian ports) stems from an agreement sealed on July 22 and has helped alleviate the global food crisis caused by the war. It was renewed in mid-November for the four winter months.