France's newly appointed foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné on Saturday renewed his country's support for Ukraine, choosing Kyiv for his first official visit abroad. The diplomat met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a high-profile show of solidarity.
As the war with Russia nears its second anniversary and EU aid for Ukraine stalls, France is seeking to reassure Kyiv of its ongoing support.
"Despite multiplying crises, Ukraine is and will remain France's priority," Séjourné said at a press conference on Saturday.
Speaking alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the French foreign minister declared: "We will not falter... Our determination remains intact, and so does our admiration for the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people."
International rule of law, European values and French security interests are all at stake in the war in Ukraine, Séjourné said.
🇺🇦🇫🇷🇪🇺Aux côtés de mon homologue @DmytroKuleba, la France rend hommage aux Ukrainiens morts sur le champ de bataille.
— Stéphane Séjourné (@steph_sejourne) January 13, 2024
Depuis le 22 février 2022, ces femmes et ces hommes défendent bien plus qu’un pays : la sécurité de l’Europe tout entière, nos valeurs. pic.twitter.com/AnT345JcYL
"I appreciate France's unwavering defence support for our soldiers and assistance to our people," Zelensky wrote on X.
Aid dwindling
Political infighting in the European Union and United States has held up two major packages of assistance for Ukraine.
Last month Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked €50 billion in EU aid for Ukraine, while Republicans in the US Senate are holding up a package of wartime funding worth billions of dollars.
Séjourné said France would use "all of its weight" to try to unblock the EU's aid at a summit in early February.
France is also working to complete a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine that would outline the framework for long-term humanitarian aid, support for reconstruction and military assistance.
In Kyiv, Séjourné and Kuleba said they had discussed the supply of weapons, but did not announce any new deliveries.
"We are entering a new phase of defence cooperation" aiming to "strengthen Ukraine's capacity to produce the weapons it needs on its own soil", Séjourné said.
France's military support to Ukraine to date amounts to €3.2 billion, according to a parliamentary report published in November.
'An independent France'
Séjourné reaffirmed France's commitment to Ukraine when he formally took his new position on Friday, declaring: "Helping Ukraine means guaranteeing the victory of democracy."
The former member of the European parliament, who has never before held an international diplomatic role, takes over from career diplomat Catherine Colonna in the government appointed this week by France's new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
"I know what France means in the world and I know the power of diplomacy and negotiation," Séjourné said during the transfer of power.
He said he would work for "an independent France in a powerful Europe" and planned to travel to Berlin and Warsaw in the coming days to strengthen ties between the three countries.
(with newswires)
