Working Visit of the President of Ukraine to the French Republic

 

Steps to Achieve Peace, Defense Assistance, and Defense Industry Development: The President of Ukraine Met with the President of France in Paris

Ukraine continues working with partners to establish sustainable peace and reliable security guarantees. This was emphasized by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his meeting with President of France Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

The Ukrainian leader thanked France and Emmanuel Macron for their unwavering, highly principled and tangible support for Ukraine. In particular, for the provision of Mirage aircraft and a new defense package worth EUR 2 billion.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron coordinated their positions on the eve of the meeting of European leaders scheduled for Thursday in Paris at the initiative of the French President. The Ukrainian side expects that, in particular, it will lead to substantive, operational content of the discussion on security guarantees and the deployment of partner contingents in Ukraine.

“Right now, much can and must be done to ensure true security in Europe and stability for all our people. Together with France, together with all our partners in Europe and around the world. This is an important historic moment – it’s about how today’s generation of European leaders will shape the security system of Europe for decades to come,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.

He also reminded that recently, in Saudi Arabia, the delegations of Ukraine and the United States had discussed the ceasefire in the energy sector and in the Black Sea. However, there are still technical issues to be resolved, primarily the monitoring of this process.

“As for the Black Sea, the situation is more difficult: Moscow is trying to add conditions to an agreement that is meant to be unconditional. Therefore, we expect the American side to ensure that the principle of unconditional silence at sea is upheld,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The parties separately discussed the need to increase pressure on Russia in order to achieve peace. The Ukrainian President stressed that sanctions against Russia must remain in force and be strengthened as long as Russian aggression continues.

In addition, the meeting addressed investments in Ukrainian arms production and the development of defense cooperation: from air defense to artillery. The leaders instructed the defense ministers to elaborate on this issue and ensure its implementation.

Emmanuel Macron pointed out that Ukraine, despite being the victim of aggression, supported the U.S. proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

“Although I see the temptation of the Russian side to rewrite, to reinterpret what has already been discussed or agreed upon by listing new conditions. And besides, Russia does not prove that it really wants peace, as day after day it continues to carry out intensive strikes on the territory of Ukraine, including on civilian objects,” he said.

According to the President of France, tomorrow's meeting of the leaders will focus on control, monitoring and support of the ceasefire regime, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine.

“Our goal is to enable Ukraine, firstly, to maintain the situation on the frontline, to repel aggression, but at the same time to bring closer the prospects of a lasting peace that we all seek. I want to assure you: France will continue its efforts, in coordination with the United States and in agreement with the Europeans,” Emmanuel Macron concluded.

 

The President: Partners Must Maintain Sanctions Against Russia, Strengthen Ukraine

Russia seeks to prolong the war, so partner countries must maintain sanctions against the Russian Federation, strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, and develop a joint plan for deploying security guarantor forces. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the leaders' summit on support for Ukraine in Paris.

The Head of State emphasized that Russia is trying to keep the war going and is delaying diplomatic negotiations on a full and unconditional ceasefire, therefore it is important to maintain sanctions pressure on the aggressor country.

“Russia breaks its promises way too often – we can’t take steps toward them unless they really change. Sanctions must stay in place for as long as the aggression and occupation continue. I’m asking all of you to stay firm and to work with our other partners to keep the pressure on Russia,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The President called on partners to continue military support for Ukraine both at the national level and through joint defense and financial initiatives within the European Union.

“According to our intelligence, Russia is getting ready for new offensives against the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions. They’re dragging out the talks and trying to get the U.S. stuck in endless, pointless discussions about fake “conditions” just to buy time and then try to grab more land,” the Head of State emphasized.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also highlighted Ukraine's need for investment in the joint production of air defense systems, artillery shells, and drones.

“In Ukraine, our defense industry is underfunded by around 20 billion euros. We believe this gap can be closed using Russian assets,” the President noted.

The Head of State also urged partner countries to develop a concrete joint plan for deploying their forces in Ukraine.

“We need one clear plan – one that we all agree on and start implementing, based on the options and plans that have already been discussed with you and are available to you. We want to invite a small group of people – your representatives – to Ukraine to develop this plan together,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.

 

Coalition of the Willing Is Ready to Continue Supporting Ukraine and Increasing Pressure on Russia Until the War Ends – Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Continued support for Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression, further pressure on the Russian Federation, and security guarantees for our country were the key topics of the leaders' summit on support for Ukraine. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of his meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the British Embassy in Paris.

The President highlighted the leadership of France and the United Kingdom in the Coalition of the Willing.

As the President emphasized, the outcome of the meeting included an important confirmation: there will be no lifting of sanctions against Russia until it ends this war.

“This is critically important – everyone understands that today, Russia does not want peace. This is very important. And in the coming weeks and days, we will continue working on security guarantees. I believe this is essential not only for today, but also for our future,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that all members of the Coalition of the Willing are determined to achieve peace through strength.

“Russia is playing for time, playing games – and we must be clear-eyed about that,” he added.

According to the UK Prime Minister, the summit also resulted in increased support for Ukraine, aimed at ensuring the strongest possible position now and in future negotiations.

“And of course, we discussed further plans to secure peace, the activities of the Coalition of the Willing, as well as military and operational plans – on land, in the air, and at sea,” Keir Starmer concluded.

https://www.president.gov.ua/news/