The French Senate on March 13 overwhelmingly supported a security deal between Paris and Kyiv after it was approved by the parliament's lower chamber a day earlier.
The agreement, signed at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Feb. 16, was the third time a bilateral security agreement based on commitments made by G7 countries had been signed after Ukraine signed agreements with the U.K. and Germany. Other states have finalized similar deals since then.
The 10-year security agreement includes French commitments to deliver more munitions and provide up to 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in military aid to Ukraine in 2024.
Some 293 members of the Senate voted in support of the deal. Twenty-two senators voted against it, namely lawmakers from the communist parliamentary group.
"Turning our back on Ukraine would mean turning our back on our values, betraying the trust of our allies, showing weakness," said French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal during the debate, according to France 24.
The French National Assembly supported the agreement on March 12 as 372 lawmakers voted in favor, 99 were against, and 106 abstained or were absent.
The French Defense Ministry recently released a list of aid donated to Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022, and announced that France has committed more than 3.8 billion euros ($4.16 billion) in security assistance to Ukraine.
Although France has committed a comparably smaller portion of its GDP than countries like Germany or Poland, Macron has recently called for more decisive steps to support Ukraine, even not ruling out sending troops.
Elsa Court
(Updated: )
