French assistance: armored vehicles and light tanks for Ukraine
Following talks in Paris, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a joint declaration condemning Russia's military aggression on the territory of Ukraine and demanding "that Russia must immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine."
This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine.
France reiterated its commitment to continue providing political, financial, humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine "for as long as necessary."
"New packages are being prepared, constantly taking into account the most urgent and immediate needs of Ukraine to strengthen its defence… In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with tens of armored vehicles and light tanks including AMX-10RC. Besides, France is focusing its effort in supporting Ukraine’s air defense capacities in order to defend its population against Russian strikes," the document says.
The Presidents emphasized the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which pose a serious threat through their irresponsible actions.
Also, according to the declaration, "In the NATO framework, France continues to focus on the immediate support to Ukraine" and "fully supports the NATO-Ukraine Commission as a venue to further increase and expand the ongoing cooperation to help fulfil Ukraine’s path towards the Euro-Atlantic family, consistent with the Bucharest Declaration".
At the same time, Paris has expressed its support for the
- the Ukrainian formula for peace,
- investigation and prosecution of those responsible for war crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine,
- strengthening sanctions pressure on Russia,
- development of mechanisms for compensation of losses from Russian assets,
- participating in the restoration of Ukraine and continuing the grain initiative under the Grain from Ukraine program,
Volodymyr Zelenskyi arrived in France by plane on the evening of May 14. As part of his extensive visit to Europe, the Ukrainian president has already visited Italy and Germany, seeking to gain even more support from European leaders. In particular, Berlin has allocated a new €2.7 billion defense aid package to Ukraine, and Zelenskyi called the new tranche of German Leopards and anti-aircraft systems "the largest since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression in February 2022." On the morning of May 15, Volodymyr Zelenskyi arrived in London to hold a conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.