French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday announced his plans for a bilateral security agreement with Kyiv as he is set to visit Ukraine next month.
In a statement, Macron said that his country will continue to support its European neighbor in holding the front line and protecting its skies against continued Russian aggression. He added that the two nations are in the process of "finalizing a deal."
During a press conference in Paris, the French president announced the delivery of 40 Scalp long-range missiles and "several hundred" bombs to Ukraine in the coming weeks. The situation comes as France has been working on a new deal for several months as it seeks to shore up Ukraine's defenses and finances in the long term.
The president's recent statement comes in the wake of last week's visit to Kyiv by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. During that particular trip, the prime minister signed a bilateral security deal and pledged $3.25 billion in military aid to Kyiv over the next two years, as per Politico.
European partners have recently been under pressure to increase their military support for Ukraine as Russia continues its air strikes and as U.S. aid is stalled in Congress. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this month issued a stark call to other EU countries to deliver more weapons to Kyiv.
He said that the arms deliveries that have been planned so far are "too small," despite Berlin's pledge to double its military aid to Ukraine to $8.7 billion this year. The Kiel Institute, which tallied military aid to Ukraine in the public domain, said that Germany was the second-highest donor last year behind the United States.
Macron also said that France and Europe would have to take "new decisions in the weeks and months ahead," which was seen as a reference to talks in Brussels. The discussions sought to resolve a dispute over a $54 billion aid package meant for Ukraine.
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War Against Russia
On top of pledging more support for Kyiv, the French president also said that he would find ways to work with former United States President Donald Trump in the event that the latter wins another presidency, according to the Associated Press.
Macron said, "I take the leaders that the people give me," adding that he was prepared to talk with anyone whenever his country's interests were at stake. He noted that he had already had to do so with Trump during the Republican businessman's term as leader of the U.S.
On Tuesday, France's defense ministry said that Ukraine's defense minister will be in Paris on Thursday. The developments come as in June, G7 countries unveiled an international framework for the long-term security of Kyiv.
Ukraine has repeatedly lobbied for long-term security commitments from its primary supporters and while France has been negotiating bilaterally since June, there have been few details regarding which nations are willing to cooperate.
Kyiv has also been looking to maintain flows of military and financial aid from its Western allies following the nearly two-year war with Russia, said Reuters.
