“We will support Ukraine as intensely and as long as necessary. For what ? Because it is our security that is at stake. Every time the Russian army advances by one square kilometer, the threat moves closer to one square kilometer from Europe,” declared the head of French diplomacy Jean -Noël Barrot to the BBC, in an interview published on Saturday.
The day before, he had spoken in London with David Lammy, his British counterpart, while the tone has risen a notch in recent days between kyiv and Moscow, with the firing of American and British long-range missiles on Russia to which Moscow responded by firing an intermediate ballistic missile. Vladimir Putin also expanded the possibilities of resorting to nuclear weapons, noting the conflict is now “global”.
“In the logic of self-defense”, the head of the Quai d'Orsay does not exclude that kyiv could fire long-range French missiles at Russia. He did not confirm that such weapons had ever been used. As for sending French troops, the speech is similar: Paris is ruling out “no option”. “Western allies should not set limits on support for Ukraine against Russia,” he told the BBC.
But above all, the French minister highlights the financial and military support that the Europeans must provide to kyiv, while Donald Trump will succeed Joe Biden in January: “We must determine what amount Ukraine needs to fight through 2025 and 2026 – it's hard to ask the American taxpayer to foot the bill. » Jean-François Barrot also said he was “open to an invitation” for Ukraine to join NATO, as Voloydmyr Zelensky wishes.
