France has paid Russia 600 million euros ($644 million) for liquified natural gas (LNG) imports in just the first three months of 2024, making it the fastest-growing consumer of Russian LNG in the EU, Politico reported on April 11.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on April 8 and discussed further support for Ukraine, among other issues, as reported on the websites of the U.K. government and the Elysee Palace.
Paris is no longer interested in discussions with Russia after Moscow published differing accounts on the latest call between French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said in an interview for France 24 on April 8.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne called on allies to increase support for Ukraine in The Telegraph's article published on April 7.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu held a call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu, and expressed "France's solidarity with the victims" of the mass shooting at the Crocus City concert hall outside Moscow on March 22, Le Monde reported on April 3.
French President Emmanuel Macron held confidential calls with U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in February to convince them about the need for strategic ambiguity toward Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on April 3, citing undisclosed official sources.
Following an inconsistent start, France, under the leadership of the increasingly outspoken President Emmanuel Macron, has become one of Ukraine's strongest supporters.
Paris will "unlock a new batch of Aster 30 missiles" for the SAMP/T MAMBA system, the French equivalent of the U.S. Patriot, in response to Ukraine's air defense shortage.
In early 2024, Ukraine signed seven agreements with allied countries that span for the next decade, aiming to guarantee Ukraine’s security while negotiating NATO membership. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s diplomatic adviser, Ukraine is negotiating 10 more bilateral deals. The biggest question is whether the deals can prevent
President Volodymyr Zelensky held meetings with the European Parliament's Renew Europe political group and the French National Assembly delegations on March 28, the Presidential Office reported.
France suffered one of the darkest days in its modern history on Nov. 13, 2015, when over 130 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in a devastating terrorist attack in Paris. The epicenter of the attack was the Bataclan Theater, where a concert was taking place. Terrorists entered
French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to convince his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Lula to support Ukraine during his trip to Brazil, Bloomberg reported on March 26.
France will soon be able to supply Ukraine with 78 Caesar howitzers and has boosted its production of artillery rounds to meet Kyiv's most urgent needs, the Associated Press (AP) reported on March 26, citing French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
The Islamic State (IS) group, which claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall in a Moscow suburb last week, had recently made "several attempts" at attacks on French soil, French President Emmanuel Macron said on March 25.
Whoever doubts that Europe is in danger of an ominous divergence on Russia and Ukraine should take a look at the forced smiles of the “triple handshake” between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk when they met in Berlin last Friday, ostensibly
Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to understand that Western support for Ukraine could extend to troops on the ground, the chief of France’s Armed Forces, General Thierry Burkhard, said on March 21, as reported by AFP.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to take part in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics this summer, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on March 19.
France is calling for a curb on Ukrainian agricultural imports, joining Poland in a push that could cost Kyiv 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in trade revenue, Politico reported on March 19.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in France this May, Politico reported on March 18. This would be the Chinese leader's first visit to Europe since the pandemic.
Moldova's Bureau of Reintegration said that the "military technique in the images has not been functional for several years" but did not clarify which "technique" it referred to.
"I will definitely come. I have a rule that my visit should be as useful as possible for Ukraine," French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview published on March 16.
The leaders of Germany, France, and Poland agreed on new initiatives in support of Kyiv, including more weapons purchases and a future coalition on rocket artillery, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly said on March 15 following a Weimar Triangle meeting in Berlin.
The German and French leaders meet amid a growing rift in their public views on how to best help Kyiv repel Russian aggression.
French President Emmanuel Macron on March 14 again refused to rule out the potential presence of Western troops in Ukraine but stressed that the current situation does not call for it.
The French authorities have been examining the idea of whether to send "boots on the ground" into Ukraine since June 2023 "in the greatest secrecy," Le Monde reported on March 14.
The Ukrainian embassy in France appealed to local authorities after the "Another Russia" (Une autre Russie) organization included the Ukrainian film "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" by Sergei Parajanov into the program of the Russian film festival in Paris and Taverny, the embassy's press service reported on Facebook on March 13.
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.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to "reduce tensions" between Paris and Berlin over Ukraine, Politico reported on March 13.
In total, 372 lawmakers voted in favor of the deal, 99 were against, and 106 abstained or were not present. The far-left France Unbowed party voted against the agreement, while the far-right National Rally party abstained.
Zelensky was addressing French President Emmanuel Macron's recent comments that sending Western troops into Ukraine cannot be "ruled out."
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that while the deployment of combat troops is not currently being discussed, there is the possibility that France will send military personnel to Ukraine to train Ukrainian troops or participate in mine-clearing operations.
The bilateral defense pact lays the groundwork for future military training, intelligence sharing, and increased defense consultation between the two countries.
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