On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne announced that French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to finalize a security deal in Ukraine this month but postponed the trip for security reasons.
The deal would outline the framework for long-term humanitarian and financial aid, support for reconstruction, and military assistance
According to France24, Sejourne said during a parliamentary session that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Macron are in the process of discussing and hopefully signing a bilateral accord soon.
According to diplomats, Zelensky may finalize bilateral security assurances with France and Germany later this week after initiating negotiations in July as Kyiv pursues NATO membership and fights a two-year-old Russian invasion.
Two diplomats aware of the negotiations said that France would declare a $214 million fund for civilian projects to be carried out by French companies. However, diplomats said they could not make specific financial commitments on weapons as Paris would need to return to parliament for permission.
Macron made some public announcements and declared that Paris would send 40 additional long-range cruise missiles and a regular supply of air-to-surface missiles, US News reported.
"In the coming days, we will give numbers and give you transparency on the military and the civilian aid," Sejourne said. He did not clarify if he was referring to the accord's help or France's general assistance to Ukraine.
Several allies have criticized France for not disclosing its military commitments to Ukraine, with many quoting a Kiel Institute report stating that France ranks 12th among all contributors to Ukraine's military and civilian aid at $1.8 billion.
French officials have reiterated that the quality of France's armaments has been crucial to Kyiv's military effort and claimed that the Kiel Institute's estimations are biased.
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France, Germany Support Ukrainian Air Defense
On Wednesday, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the formation of a coalition to support Ukraine's air defense during a contact group meeting on Ukraine's defense.
According to Ukrinform, the French minister posted the details on X, formerly Twitter. Sejourne wrote that strengthening Ukraine's air defense capabilities is essential for protecting civilians and said they would formalize a coalition supporting Ukraine's air defense after the launch of the artillery coalition, together with the German Minister of Defense.
Lecorne and Pistorius signed the relevant letter of intent using the "Ramstein" structure at the 19th meeting of the Defense Contact Group on Ukraine in Brussels.
Thus, France and Germany will lead a fifteen-nation coalition. Its efforts will improve Ukraine's air defense capabilities in the conflict with Russia. France and the US led the so-called Artillery Coalition, which was created based on the French Caesar gun.
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