Paris reaffirms its commitment to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Monday that "the defeat of Russia is essential for security and stability in Europe", after the meeting on Monday in Paris of more than 25 countries allied with Kiev, at a critical moment for Ukraine waiting for the Western weapons necessary for its survival.
Ahead of the summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky set the scene from a distance, deploring having “unfortunately” received only 30% of the “million shells that the European Union” “promised” to Ukraine.
“Together we must ensure that Putin cannot destroy what we have achieved and cannot extend his aggression to other countries,” Zelensky also said.
Paris wants to play the leading roles
Emmanuel Macron explained at the start of the summit that the hastily organized meeting aimed to “see on a national and collective level how we can do more”, in “budgetary support” as well as “military”.
Since he received Volodymyr Zelensky ten days ago at the Élysée to sign a bilateral security agreement, Emmanuel Macron has painted a very dark picture of the intentions of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and has tried to position himself on the front line of the support provided to kyiv.
The Ukrainians have been accumulating setbacks in the East for several weeks, notably with the loss more than a week ago of the fortress town of Avdiïvka, and, this Monday, their withdrawal from the village of Lastochkyné, near there.
At a time when Russia's total war against Ukraine has entered its third year and American aid, crucial for Kiev, is blocked in Congress by Donald Trump's Republicans, Europeans want to do "more and better », According to the Élysée.