William Molinié, edited by Gauthier Delomez
modified to
7:44 p.m., June 16, 2022
Emmanuel Macron responds to requests from Volodymyr Zelensky. From kyiv, the capital of Ukraine where he arrived this Thursday morning, the President of the Republic announced to his Ukrainian counterpart that France was going to deliver six additional Caesar guns to the country, in addition to the 12 already delivered as Europe 1 had announced, to come to the aid of the Ukrainian army against the Russian invasion. “Europe is by your side, it will remain so as long as necessary, until victory,” he said first, before discussing this new delivery of weapons.
Macron calls for the lifting of the Russian blockade on the export of cereals
“Beyond the 12 Caesar guns already delivered, I have made the decision that in the coming weeks, six additional Caesars (will be delivered)”, declared the Head of State. In addition, France has decided on the “next supply of a mobile DNA analysis laboratory”, added Emmanuel Macron, stressing that it was necessary to “fight against all forms of impunity”. The “DNA Lab”, as the gendarmes call it, makes it possible to identify perpetrators and victims at disaster scenes or complex crime scenes. This is a unique device in the world, used during the Germanwings crash in the Alps in 2015, and for the Nice attack in 2016.
In his speech, the Head of State also “solemnly called on Russia to accept that the United Nations organize the export of cereals, which requires accepting the lifting of the Russian blockade and providing all safety guarantees” to the boats that will be circulating.
EU supports Ukraine’s membership application
On the possible entry of Ukraine into the European Union, Emmanuel Macron assured that with Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, and Mario Draghi, the head of the Italian government, also present in kyiv, they support the status of candidate immediately upon joining. “This status will be accompanied by a roadmap and will also involve taking into account the situation in the Balkans and the neighbourhood, in particular in Moldova”, indicated the Head of State.
“Our unity is an indispensable condition,” replied Volodymyr Zelensky. “A pledge of this common position could come with a step forward on the path of Ukraine’s integration into the EU”, he underlined, assuring that this status of candidate for membership “is a historic chance to strengthen European stability and may be one of the greatest decisions” of this first half of the 21st century.