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.
France has invited officials from Ukraine's key allies and NATO chief to participate in a video call on March 7 aimed at demonstrating a "united front" and developing concrete proposals to strengthen support for Ukraine, Reuters reported on March 5.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Prague on March 5 to meet Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala and discuss plans to purchase ammunition for Ukraine outside of Europe, among other topics, Czech Television reported.
Ukrainian officials signed an agreement with France to invest over 5 million euros towards the reconstruction of Chernihiv Oblast, Ukrainian infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov announced on March 4.
The newly published list of 50 items includes 30 Caesar self-propelled artillery systems, 38 AMX10 armored fighting vehicles, 250 VAB armored vehicles in various modifications, 160 drones, and 10 drone-detecting systems.
French President Emmanuel Macron was left on his lonesome by his fellow European allies after saying that the possibility of sending Western troops on the ground in Ukraine should not be “ruled out” in the future. Macron made the remarks on Feb. 26 at a gathering of 20 European heads
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are not getting along, and Macron's recent suggestion of a possible deployment of Western troops in Ukraine has further fueled the disagreement, Bloomberg reported on March 1, citing unnamed officials familiar with the matter.
France will order 100 drones from the French company Delair that will arrive in Ukraine this summer, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu announced on Feb. 29.
France will focus on providing Ukraine with air bombs and not Mirage fighters, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu reportedly said at a meeting of the country's Defense Committee of the National Assembly on Feb. 26.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the press conference in Tirana on Feb. 28 that he wants to discuss new ways of strengthening Ukraine's defenses with French President Emmanuel Macron.
France and the Netherlands back Czechia's plan to procure hundreds of thousands of ammunition rounds for Ukraine from outside the EU, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told journalists on Feb. 26.
France and other allies of Ukraine will "create a coalition for deep strikes and therefore medium- and long-range missiles and bombs," French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Feb. 26.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to host a conference for Kyiv's partners on Feb. 26 to strengthen the allied commitment to Ukraine after the war entered its third year.
France will provide Ukraine with a defense package that includes artillery shells and Caesar howitzers, as well as reinforced air defense systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at a press conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 16.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation, the two heads of state announced during a press briefing in France on Feb. 16.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Feb. 16 for talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Zelensky announced on social media.
France plans to summon the Russian ambassador on Feb. 5 to condemn the killing of two French humanitarian workers in Ukraine last week and to protest the resurgence of anti-French disinformation, Le Figaro and AFP reported, citing diplomatic sources.
Gael Veyssiere (Gaël Veyssière) started his work as French ambassador to Ukraine in August 2023, having previously served as the ambassador to Croatia. He succeeded Etienne de Poncins, who was moved to a posting in Poland after serving as the ambassador in Ukraine for four years. Veyssiere arrived in Ukraine
He also said Crimea was "Russian at the beginning," without specifying what he meant by beginning.
The Kyiv Independent: Opinion is a series of videos where our journalists share their thoughts on various political, social, and other issues. In this video, our reporter Alexander Query, a native of France, contemplates why many in his home country, and in Europe in general, romanticize Russia.
Former French President François Hollande didn’t have an easy time in office, having been struck by one domestic crisis after another during his 2012-2017 tenure. Hollande also was in office when Russia first launched its war against Ukraine, now well in its eighth year. In February 2014, Russian troops
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. French President Emmanuel Macron is not credible anymore. His latest baffling statement on national television about giving “security guarantees” to Russia has caused
(Updated: )
