Edit post
Zelensky: As long as Ukraine holds, French army can stay in France
March 11, 2024 10:56 PM
2 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance
President Volodymyr Zelensky told French broadcaster BFMTV on March 11 that "as long as Ukraine holds, the French army can stay in French territory."
Zelensky was addressing French President Emmanuel Macron's recent comments that sending Western troops into Ukraine cannot be "ruled out."
Macron's words prompted the U.S. and multiple European allies, as well as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, to distance themselves from the statement.
French soldiers "will not die in Ukraine," Zelensky said, but warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin launches an attack on a NATO member state, the situation will be different.
"The fact that (Macron) says that we cannot exclude anything is linked to what Putin wants to do," Zelensky said.
Zelensky also remarked that the situation on the front line is "much better than during the last three months," and that "Russia's advance has been stopped."
During the interview, Zelensky also addressed Pope Francis' call for Ukraine to negotiate peace with Russia and raise the "white flag."
"For Putin, a break is oxygen," Zelensky said. "It is not to negotiate, it is a way of restoring the military capabilities of his army and training his young conscripts."
In a statement released following the publication of the interview, the director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni, clarified that the Pope didn't call for Ukraine's surrender, but for a ceasefire and negotiations.
"His hope is a diplomatic solution for a just and lasting peace," Bruni said.
Stolen futures: 5 Ukrainian children killed in single Russian attack
Five Ukrainian children were sleeping peacefully in their beds on March 2 when Russia launched the overnight drone attack against their hometown of Odesa that took their lives. Some came from different families but lived in the same apartment building in the southern Ukrainian port city. Instead o…

Most popular
Editors' Picks

Taurus missiles, stronger Europe — what can Ukraine hope for after German elections

Explainer: Did Trump lie about $350 billion aid to Ukraine, and does Kyiv have to repay it?

In talks with Russia, Trump repeats his Afghanistan playbook
