Interest in the fate of Ukraine seems to be experiencing a surge.
Twenty-eight countries in total are participating on Thursday afternoon in a follow-up meeting dedicated to support for Ukraine organized by France with the aim of doing more to defeat Russia.
Ukraine, member states of the European Union, the United States and Canada are notably represented there.
21 countries are appointed by their Minister of Foreign Affairs and/or their Minister of Defense.
There is a “collective burst and a sense of urgency that we must do more, do better, do differently for Ukraine,” a French diplomatic source told a few journalists.
This meeting follows the international meeting in support of Ukraine, which took place in Paris on February 26, at the initiative of Emmanuel Macron.
The countries are working on eight projects: munitions, destocking principles, cyber, border protection, protection of vulnerable states, mine clearance, industrial production on site in Ukraine and the “9th coalition” on missiles, it was also specified. .
On the sidelines of this meeting, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps announced during a trip to kyiv that London would deliver “more than 10,000 drones” to Ukraine in 2024, including attack drones.
The United Kingdom announced that it would release an additional 125 million pounds (146 million euros) for the supply of these “cutting edge” drones, bringing its aid to 325 million pounds (380 million euros). military for this equipment which he considers “very effective” in the fight of the Ukrainian forces against the Russian invasion.
800,000 artillery shells
For his part, Czech President Petr Pavel announced that Ukraine could receive within “a few weeks” the 800,000 artillery shells purchased from third countries as part of his initiative financed by a coalition of 18 countries, including France.
“We raised the full amount to buy all” of the ammunition, Petr Pavel told the press, without specifying the amount.
“If there are no fundamental problems, the ammunition could be delivered to Ukraine in a few weeks,” he added.
These deliveries are in line with this “working meeting” at the initiative of Paris, “which is part of the dynamic created by the conference of February 26 to operationalize these subjects”, according to a French diplomatic source.
There is also educational work to be done with public opinion, underlined another diplomatic source.
“There is very important work of explanation on the consequences that this causes in terms of security, consequences in terms of the agricultural market, migratory consequences and others,” she noted, observing that public opinion was at “a tipping point”.
Among the participants, Ukrainian Ministers of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kouleba and Defense Minister Roustem Oumerov, the head of Polish diplomacy, the Italian Minister of Defense while Germany will be represented by a Secretary of State, according to the same source .
In a Tribune published in the newspaper Le Monde on Thursday, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy recalled that “Ukraine has never requested the sending of foreign troops to fight alongside it”.
“We have always had confidence in our fighters,” he added.
But he deplored "the multiple hasty declarations to rule out the scenario of sending troops to Ukraine" which, according to him, are a blow to European security.
“Make no mistake: Putin felt that the war inspired a primal fear in Europeans and he took note of it,” he noted.
“It will be the turn of your soldiers”
France has been insisting for months on the need to redouble its efforts regarding support for Ukraine to defeat Russia.
During the meeting on February 26, Emmanuel Macron sparked intense controversy by refusing to exclude the option of sending Western soldiers to Ukraine in the future.
In France too, the possibility of a military presence on the ground has highlighted the divisions within the political class.
In addition to Ukraine, Paris intends to support the countries of Central and Eastern Europe weakened by this conflict.
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will travel to Lithuania on Friday, to Vilnius, for a meeting with his counterparts from the Baltic countries as well as with Dmytro Kouleba.
“All European capitals must understand this simple and hard truth at the same time, which we already seem to have understood in Paris: either our allies (…) fully help the Ukrainian soldiers in their battles to defend the cities and villages of Ukraine, or, one day, it will be the turn of your soldiers to sacrifice their lives in battles to defend the cities and villages of the countries of Central Europe first and the rest of Europe later,” said the Ukrainian minister in his gallery.
Last week, Berlin categorically ruled out sending soldiers to Ukrainian soil.