France pledges further military support to Ukraine

Ukraine – Joint statement by M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, and Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine¹

Chișinău, 1 June 2023

We, Presidents of Ukraine and France, met today in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, on the margins of the Second European Political Community Summit.

The Presidents of Ukraine and France reiterated their agreement, reached during the bilateral meeting in Paris on 14 May 2023 to help to protect Ukraine’s population against Russian strikes through France’s support to air defence capabilities of Ukraine.

As it was agreed at the 12th meeting in the Ramstein format on 25 May 2023 we confirmed the readiness to develop the framework to start the training of Ukrainian combat aircraft pilots when appropriate for Ukranian Air Force.

Сonsidering parallel consultations with the US and others willing countries, we have tasked our ministers of defence to work together in order to prepare formal decision on concrete scope and the mechanism of the training of pilots and technical staff, based on the request of the Ukrainian side, to be taken at the next Ramstein meeting with all nations part of the fighter pilots’ training initiative./.

¹ Source of English text: Elysée Palace.

Ukraine – Joint declaration by France and Ukraine¹

Paris, 15 May 2023

At their meeting in Paris on 14 May 2023, the Presidents of Ukraine and the French Republic issued the following declaration.

The presidents of Ukraine and France reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine has shown remarkable determination in exercising its inherent right to self-defence against this unprovoked and unjustified attack. Russia must immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. France and Ukraine call specifically on Russia to withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), of which the irresponsible seizure and militarization by Russian armed forces is causing a grave threat.

France remains unwavering in its commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. France commends the determination and courage of the Ukrainian people and armed forces and acknowledges their significant contribution to the security of the European continent and beyond. France will continue its political, financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes – individually and through international cooperation within the European Union, NATO, the United Nations and in other formats. By defending the security of the European continent, France, Ukraine and other partners are also safeguarding the rules-based international order.

The military support provided by France since the beginning of the war in order to allow Ukraine to defend itself continues, as new packages are being prepared, constantly taking into account the most urgent and immediate needs of Ukraine to strengthen its defence capabilities. France is aiming at providing full capacities in all areas. In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with tens of armoured vehicles and light tanks including AMX-10RC. Besides, France is focusing its effort in supporting Ukraine’s air defence capacities in order to defend its population against Russian strikes. In addition to its national contribution, the French Republic is actively involved in the measures of the European Union and NATO in the military assistance to Ukraine and in the training of Ukrainian soldiers.

Beyond the military assistance, France has been providing Ukraine with civilian assistance, including financial, humanitarian and emergency support. In particular, France has sent to Ukraine two mobile DNA laboratories to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to prosecute war crimes. This assistance will continue to grow.

France supports Ukraine’s initiative for a just and sustainable peace based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Ukrainian Peace Formula includes a variety of important objectives, many of which France is already working on. France expresses its support to the Ukrainian Peace Formula and stands ready to cooperate with Ukraine to ensure as wide international participation as possible in a Global Peace Summit to be convened in the coming months on the basis of the Ukraine Peace Formula proposal and other possible good-faith proposals.

Ukraine and France are determined to fight against impunity, and underline their firm commitment to bringing to justice those responsible for war crimes and other atrocity crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. France is participating in ongoing international efforts, in cooperation with Ukraine, to ensure accountability through the establishment of an appropriate mechanism for prosecuting the crime of aggression. Broad international support is key in this regard, since it provides maximum international legitimacy while ensuring the prosecution of the political leadership. Therefore, while participating in the Core Group on achieving accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, France encourages other countries to join and to build international support for the creation of an ad hoc tribunal. France welcomes the agreement on the new International Centre for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) in The Hague, and looks forward to its launch as soon as possible.

Ukraine and France reiterate their support for the investigations of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which are a step towards accountability, and have taken note of the court’s arrest warrants. France has provided additional support to the International Criminal Court in order to enhance its capacities in the framework of the war of Russia against Ukraine.

Ukraine and France agree on the need to increase collective pressure on Russia through further sanctions to weaken Russia’s ability to continue its illegal war of aggression. Furthermore, they agree on the need to strengthen efforts to ensure the effective implementation of sanctions and to prevent and counter circumvention in and by third countries.

Ukraine and France will continue to work together with others to develop mechanisms to provide compensation for losses, injuries and damages caused by the Russian aggression. To this end, the international register of damage, to be presented at the Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe on 16-17 May 2023, is an important milestone. Our efforts will continue to explore appropriate options for the financing of a compensation mechanism, including a sound legal basis for the use of frozen and immobilized Russian assets, to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and for the purposes of reparation.

Ukraine and France remain also determined to support countries suffering from the consequences of the Russian war, notably to reduce the consequences of the food crisis. In this regard, France emphasizes the importance of Ukraine’s consistent efforts to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative and launch the Grain from Ukraine Humanitarian Programme, aimed at enhancing global food security. Ukraine highly appreciates France’s support for the Grain from Ukraine Humanitarian Programme and encourages further strengthening of the relevant support.

Ukraine welcomes the fact that France organized an international conference on 13 December, which led to the establishment of the "Paris Mechanism" for better coordination of emergency aid. France, together with international organizations and partners, is committed to participate in the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine after the war. Already now, it is important to lay the ground for an ambitious and long-term engagement that will create opportunities and enable the Ukrainian people to rebuild their country. Engaging all relevant partners, including private companies and internationally, with the aim of securing the financial support, investments and knowledge needed, is essential to ensure a prosperous future for Ukraine.

The future of Ukraine and its people lies within the European family. The European Union has already recognized the European perspective of Ukraine and granted Ukraine the status of candidate country. France strongly supports Ukraine in its reform efforts and in meeting before the end of 2023 the required conditions, looking forward to the European Commission’s report, with a view to start accession negotiations. Ukraine and France call on the EU to continue supporting the country in all fields. Regarding military support, they welcome the recent agreements aiming at delivering more ammunition and missiles to Ukraine, notably through the expansion of the European industrial base. Furthermore, Ukraine has a key role to play within the newly-founded European Political Community and will work towards the success of the Chisinau Summit, together with France and Moldova.

In the NATO framework, France continues to focus on the immediate support to Ukraine. France continues its strong support to bolster Ukraine’s capacity to defend itself, and recalls that Ukraine has the right to choose its own security arrangements. France fully supports the NATO-Ukraine Commission as a venue to further increase and expand the ongoing cooperation to help fulfil Ukraine’s path towards the Euro-Atlantic family, consistent with the Bucharest Declaration. Ukraine and France look forward to addressing these issues at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023./.

¹Source of English text: Elysée Palace website.

United States – Telephone conversation between M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, and Mr Joe Biden, President of the United States of America - Press release issued by the Presidency of the Republic

Paris, 20 April 2023

President Macron spoke by phone with US President Joe Biden on 20 April – one of the regular conversations that take place between the two heads of State.

At a time when Ukraine continues to be the victim of Russian aggression, the two presidents discussed the latest developments on the ground and support for the Ukrainian war effort. They reaffirmed their shared determination to maintain this support over the long term.

President Macron shared the results of his State visit to Beijing and Guangzhou. China has a role to play, in the medium term, in helping to end the conflict in compliance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to engage with the Chinese authorities to that end.

The French President also emphasized the EU’s major contribution in support of Ukraine: its civilian and military components together exceed €67 billion. He also reiterated the need for the Europeans to continue rearming in order to assume their burden-sharing responsibilities in the area of transatlantic security. France will fully play its part in this regard, with the help of its new military planning law.

Both presidents share the same determination to strengthen the cooperative efforts currently under way and to uphold international law, including the freedom of navigation, throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

They also discussed the extremely troubling situation in Sudan./.

Ukraine – Telephone conversation between M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, and Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine – Press release issued by the Presidency of the Republic

Paris, 15 April 2023

President Macron had a telephone conversation with the President of Ukraine, Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy, today, Saturday 15 April 2023.

The Head of State asked the Ukrainian President about the situation on the ground. He reiterated France’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in military, humanitarian and economic terms, in order to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The two presidents spoke about the next steps in organizing a peace summit.

The French President reviewed his visit to China, during which he and President Xi Jinping publicly reaffirmed their opposition to any use of nuclear weapons and their commitment to respect for international humanitarian law, in particular on the protection of civilian infrastructure and civilians, especially children.

President Macron restated France’s strong condemnation of the execution of a suspected Ukrainian prisoner of war, an appalling video of which is circulating on the Internet. He repeated that France stands by the Ukrainian and international courts to ensure that no crimes committed in the context of the Russian aggression go unpunished./.

Military support:

Transfers

The transfer strategy aims to build operational capacity of Ukrainian armed forces in strategic areas, including artillery, armoured mobility and ground‐to‐air defence.

A large amount of equipment has already been delivered covering a large range of needs expressed by Ukrainians:

• Combat gear (helmets, bullet‐proof vests, night vision binoculars, combat rations, NBC suits, medical equipment).

• Air defence systems with a commitment to renew stocks, including:
• 2 MLRS rocket launchers delivered to Ukraine at the end of November
• 2 Crotale air defence systems
• 1 Ground Master 200 (GM200) radar to be delivered
• Artillery including:
• 18 Caesar howitzers already delivered and 12 more to come
• 6 TRF1 155mm howitzers
• AMX10‐RC combat vehicles: the announcement of their delivery by President Macron
  launched new momentum for armoured vehicle support to Ukraine.
• Armoured forward vehicles (VAB)
• Ammunition in all calibers
• Fuel

Special Fund

The creation of a special fund to support Ukraine, endowed with €200 million by amendment from the National Assembly group supporting the President has helped Ukraine purchase directly the equipment it needs most to support its war effort from manufacturers. The fund will also be used for the maintenance of equipment provided.

Training

Training sessions with the supplied equipment and armament consolidate the comprehensive capabilities provided to render them sustainable in the long term (usage training and trainers’ training to ultimately ensure Ukrainians’ autonomy). Moreover, France provides soldier training and specialized training, for example, in logistics. France will initially train 2,000 of the 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers who are to be trained by the EU as part of the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM3) CSDP operation. Some of the training will be held in France and some in Poland via the deployment of 150 French military personnel, with the aim of training 600 Ukrainian soldiers a month.

European Peace Facility

France has contributed €630 million to the European Peace Facility (of a total of €3.5 billion, ie 20% of total contributions).

Humanitarian assistance:

€200 million for Ukraine and its neighbours. More than 40 operations conducted by the Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs since 24 February 2022, delivering more than 2,700 tons of assistance, including 1,000 tons via the “Ship for Ukraine” Operation, which left Marseille in September. Since the start of the conflict, 196 generators have been sent.

Standing with the Ukrainian People international conference: More than €1 billion was pledged to be disbursed between September 2022 and April 2023. France has committed in this respect to provide 63 additional generators and 5 million LED light bulbs, which are on their way to Ukraine.

The support from the CDCS covers medical and food aid, search and rescue equipment, emergency energy assistance, emergency shelters and essentials for displaced persons and refugees, support for mobility of populations, mine clearance and support to Ukrainian journalists.

12 medical evacuations have been organized from Ukraine to France for 32 injured soldiers and 40 children with cancer. €31.6 million has been dedicated to supporting the work of humanitarian NGOs and the ICRC.

€140 million has been contributed to UN Agencies and international organizations (UNHCR, IOM, WFP, OCHA, ICRC, IFRC, UNICEF) in response to the crisis in Ukraine.

Economic and financial assistance:

€1.2 billion earmarked for export guarantees, as part of France’s participation in the reconstruction via its companies and using export financing tools. Direct budgetary loans guaranteed by the French State, amounting to €400 million; More than 700 French companies attended the French‐Ukrainian Conference for the Resilience and Reconstruction of Ukraine on 13 December 2022, where two agreements were signed granting guarantees to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a
total of €100 million.

Legal aid:

Support for Ukrainian courts:

• Two deployments of forensic doctors and Gendarmerie forensics specialists from the IRCGN to Bucha in April and the Kharkiv region in late September.
• Donation of a mobile DNA analysis laboratory (a second is due to be delivered soon); Support for the International Criminal Court (ICC): exceptional financial contribution of €500,000 in addition to the annual contribution of more than €13 million; secondment of a magistrate and several investigators to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor; Support to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights totalling €400,000.

Receiving refugees:

More than 100,000 Ukrainians taken in under the temporary protection system.
More than 20,000 Ukrainians enrolled in the French education system, and 2,000 students.

Scholarships programme for intensive French classes financed by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs with the Campus France agency.

EU aid to Ukraine in figures: More than €50 billion in support in all fields.
€19.7 billion in support of Ukraine’s economic, social and financial resilience (€12.4 billion in European funds and €7.3 billion from EU Member States).

€3.5 billion in military assistance via the European Peace Facility. France’s contributions to this Facility account for 20% of total contributions.

After contributing €7.2 billion in macro‐financial assistance in 2022, exceptional macrofinancial assistance of €18 billion (AMF+) to Ukraine will be disbursed in 2023 to cover nearly half of Ukraine’s needs. An initial €3 billion was disbursed on 17 January.