The Ukrainian forces managed to "stabilize the situation" in the country's east, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 21.
After the capture of Avdiivka on Feb. 17 and several other settlements shortly after, Russian forces were concentrating their main efforts on making a breakthrough near the fallen town in Donetsk Oblast, Syrskyi reported last week. Avdiivka fell as Ukraine was facing an ongoing ammunition shortage.
In a phone call with Thierry Burkhard, France's army chief, Syrskyi said he had spoken about the current situation on the battlefield and thanked Paris for the support.
"I also expressed my gratitude for the assistance provided in training Ukrainian soldiers in France," Syrskyi wrote on Telegram.
Paris has committed more than 3.8 billion euros ($4.1 billion) in security assistance to Ukraine between February 2022 and December 2023, including 2.6 billion euros ($2.8 billion) in military aid, according to the French Defense Ministry.
France is one of the few countries that have provided Ukraine with long-range weapons, SCALP missiles, and French President Emmanuel Macron doesn't rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told French broadcaster BFMTV on March 11 that the situation on the front line "is better than it has been in the past few months."
The line of contact near another hot spot, the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, was "in flux," but the situation was "not critical" as of March 20 despite Russian troops assaults in the area, according to the Ukrainian military.
