Ukrainian President Discusses Next Defence Aid Package with French Counterpart
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a working visit to Argentina, discussed details of the upcoming defence package from the French Republic with President Emmanuel Macron over the phone, aiming to significantly enhance Ukraine's firepower capabilities and address current defence needs.
It is reported by Ukrainian President's official website.
Zelensky briefed his counterpart on the situation on the battlefield and expressed gratitude for the military support provided by France. The president also thanked his colleague for the preparation involved in hosting Ukrainian pilots for the second phase of the training program on F-16 aircraft.
"I explained the functioning of the 'grain corridor,' through which, despite all of Russia's efforts, 7.5 million tons of cargo have already been transported," stated the Ukrainian president.
The leaders also discussed further steps regarding the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula. President Zelensky informed about the preparation for the next meeting at the level of national security and foreign policy advisers to the leaders.
In addition, the leaders of Ukraine and France exchanged views on the development of the situation in the Middle East, emphasizing the importance of protecting the civilian population and preventing escalation in the region.
In the context of discussing Ukraine's cooperation with the EU, Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron touched upon issues related to further macro-financial support for Ukraine using the new financial instrument, Ukraine Facility.
Furthermore, Zelensky emphasized the importance of initiating negotiations on Ukraine's EU accession during the upcoming European Council summit.
"Ukraine has fulfilled all the necessary recommendations of the European Commission," added the president.
He underscored that a positive decision by the European Council would have a significant impact on the motivation of Ukrainian society and the army.
"In this regard, I highly appreciate President Macron's personal efforts aimed at ensuring EU unity," noted Zelensky.
It is worth mentioning that on Friday in Paris, Emmanuel Macron hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Before the meeting, Macron was optimistic about convincing Orban, who intends to block all crucial EU decisions regarding Ukraine at the summit on December 14-15. However, no official details of their talks were disclosed.
On December 14-15, the EU summit in Brussels is expected to consider the opening of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union and the allocation of €50 billion in macro-financial assistance to Kyiv over four years. Hungary currently refuses to approve these decisions.