(Updated with signing of the France-Ukraine agreement, quotes)
PARIS/BERLIN, February 16 (Reuters) –
France and Ukraine signed a bilateral security agreement on Friday on the occasion of the visit to Paris of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, received by Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée a few days before the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Volodimir Zelensky concluded a similarly inspired agreement a few hours earlier in Germany where he was received by Chancellor Olaf Scholz before participating in the Munich security conference on Saturday. He had already done the same in January with the United Kingdom.
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Developed following a commitment made by the G7 countries last summer, the agreement signed in Paris, like the one concluded in Berlin, essentially includes commitments in principle in terms of military and civilian support and aims above all to reaffirm France’s support for Ukraine at a time when the latter is experiencing difficulties on the front, while crucial military aid from the United States is delayed by political battles in the American Congress.
France notably plans to provide up to three billion euros in additional support to Ukraine in 2024.
This agreement “not only establishes our long-term support but also in a collective approach and logic”, declared Emmanuel Macron during a press conference at the Elysée alongside Volodimir Zelensky.
The French president announced that he would visit Ukraine by mid-March.
Judging that “Ukrainians today are fighting not only for their freedom but for European security, for the solidity of liberal democracies and the defense of international law”, Emmanuel Macron assured his Ukrainian counterpart that the “determination (of the France) is as strong as the first day” and that French commitment to Ukraine “will not weaken”.
Through this agreement, lasting 10 years and aiming, according to Emmanuel Macron, to fill a “gap” between now and Ukraine’s possible accession to NATO, France undertakes to provide global assistance to Ukraine for the protection and restoration of its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, as well as for its economic recovery and reconstruction after the war.
She also promises to help prevent any future “aggression” from Russia. Finally, it intends to support Ukraine’s efforts to join the European Union and a rapprochement with NATO.
While American military aid is suspended by a vote in the House of Representatives in Washington, Volodimir Zelensky affirmed that agreements with the Europeans were not “an alternative to the United States”.
“We are all together and this union is necessary to defeat Russia,” he said.
Before Paris, the Ukrainian president went to Berlin to sign a similar agreement with Germany.
Speaking alongside Olaf Scholz during a press conference, he nevertheless expressed his “hope” to see the United States Congress finally give the green light to the aid of 60 billion dollars requested by the President Joe Biden. (Alexander Ratz, Sarah Marsh and Olena Harmash in Berlin, Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk, Michel Rose and John Irish in Paris; written by Jean Terzian, Tangi Salaün and Bertrand Boucey, edited by Zhifan Liu and Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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