FRANCE 24 provided live coverage of the press conference after the signing as well as analysis. . .
Ukraine’s Zelensky Turns to France, Germany as U.S. Aid Stalls
Paris and Berlin line up security pacts with Kyiv while more assistance from Washington is in limbo
Updated Feb. 16, 2024 3:49 pm ET
Updated Feb. 16, 2024 3:49 pm ET
France and Germany lined up long-term military-aid pacts with Ukraine on Friday, as the Biden administration struggles to push its own assistance through Congress and anxieties mount over Donald Trump’s skepticism toward trans-Atlantic security ties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was shuttling between Germany and France Friday to sign the accords, which aim to make good on commitments the Group of Seven industrialized nations made last year to reassure Ukraine after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization declined to invite Ukraine to join the alliance.
France signs security pact with Ukraine, pledges 'up to €3 billion' in additional military aid
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a security pact with France in Paris on Friday, having earlier secured a similar deal with Germany hailed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a "historic step" anchoring support for Kyiv in its raging battle against Russia.
The agreement includes a French aid pledge for up to €3 billion for 2024, after €1.7 billion in 2022 and €2.1 billion last year.
The deal is also to help pave the way towards Ukraine's future integration into the European Union and NATO, officials said.
"Our security agreement is a truly unprecedented bilateral document," said Zelensky.
The agreement includes a French aid pledge for up to €3 billion for 2024, after €1.7 billion in 2022 and €2.1 billion last year.
- Both deals are part of Zelensky's drive to shore up help for his forces who are struggling to hold off Russian attacks on the frontline city of Avdiivka.
- The French presidency said ahead of the meeting that the pact would run for 10 years, and include precise commitments from the French side, including financial pledges.
The deal is also to help pave the way towards Ukraine's future integration into the European Union and NATO, officials said.
"Our security agreement is a truly unprecedented bilateral document," said Zelensky.
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