By KYIV. Dec 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President Volodymyr Zelensky and French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu discussed further steps to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capability with the support of France.
"I met with French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu. I spoke about the security situation at the front and the defense needs of Ukraine. We discussed further steps to strengthen the defense capability of our state with the support of France," the president wrote on his Telegram channel on Wednesday evening.
Zelensky thanked France "for the military assistance already provided aimed at protecting the Ukrainian sky and strengthening the capabilities of the defense forces."
According to the press service of the President of Ukraine, Zelensky noted the successful holding of the International Conference to Support Ukraine in the winter in Paris, which resulted in the announcement of additional emergency assistance to our state in the amount of EUR 1 billion.
"Under the leadership of President Macron, record amounts of assistance to our state have been collected – financial, humanitarian, as well as generators. In this difficult time of challenges to Ukraine’s energy security, this was an important gesture on the part of the French Republic," Zelensky said.
He informed Lecornu about the situation at the front and the urgent defense needs of Ukraine. The head of state thanked for the military assistance provided by France aimed at protecting the Ukrainian sky and strengthening the capabilities of the defense forces, in particular, with Crotale anti-aircraft missile systems and Caesar self-propelled artillery systems. Further practical steps were discussed to strengthen the defense capability of Ukraine with the support of France.
Zelensky noted the importance of liberating all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in order to restore stability in the region and return to world order. In this context, the President spoke about the Ukrainian peace formula and the planned holding of the Global Peace Summit. He expressed his hope that France would take the lead in one or more elements of the formula.
There was also an exchange of views on topical issues of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
