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France’s president said Ukraine’s allies must “accelerate” aid to Kiev as the war enters its third year.
French President Emmanuel Macron has told European allies they must provide swift support to strengthen Ukraine as Russia’s battlefield attacks intensify as the Ukraine war enters its third year. .
“We will ensure our collective security today and tomorrow,” President Macron said as Russia hosted 20 European heads of state, government and other Western officials in Paris to show solidarity with Ukraine. It’s in the process,” he said. A full-scale invasion.
President Macron said at a meeting at the presidential palace, which was also attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and leaders of the three Baltic states, “Russia cannot win that war, and we cannot win it.” No,” he said.
“Especially in recent months, we have seen Russia become more assertive,” Macron said. “We also know that Russia is preparing new attacks specifically to shock public opinion in Ukraine.”
The meeting also signals Macron’s eagerness to present himself as a European champion of Ukraine’s cause amid growing concerns that US support will wane in the coming years.
President Macron said Ukraine’s allies needed to “start” helping.
We are talking about aid to Ukraine and collective security.
It requires a collective leap forward from all of us. pic.twitter.com/NViI9ntaVY
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 26, 2024
For Macron, the conference is also an opportunity to demonstrate European autonomy on security issues, something he had been calling for even before the Russian invasion.
Mr. Scholz and Mr. Duda were among around 25 European heads of state who attended the meeting, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also participating virtually.
Although Ukraine initially succeeded in pushing back Russian forces, it has retreated on battlefields in the east, and its generals complain of a lack of weapons and soldiers.
President Zelenskiy told reporters on Sunday that European leaders recognized “how dangerous” the war was for “the whole of Europe.”
“I think they realized [Russian President Vladimir] President Putin will continue this war.”
But officials said Macron’s meeting was not an opportunity to announce new weapons deliveries to Ukraine, but rather to brainstorm ways to increase efficiency on the ground and strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and its allies. It is claimed that.
Ammunition supplies are a key issue for Kiev. But the European Union has fallen short of its goal of sending 1 million shells to Ukraine by March.
“We must be able to deliver more shells. The principle is to buy shells where they are available,” said an adviser to the French president. “There is nothing arbitrary. [French] position. “
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Sunday that half of the Western military aid promised to Kiev has been delivered late, lamenting that “promises are not delivered.”
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Roberto Fico, who has long opposed military supplies to Ukraine and has taken positions seen as pro-Russian by some critics, did not provide details, but ahead of his visit to Paris, Several NATO and EU member states have said they are considering sending troops to Ukraine. on a bilateral basis.
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