“Kyiv must be able to defend itself”: France names “red lines” regarding Ukraine
Фото: Reuters
French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu stated that the demilitarization of Ukraine is a “red line” in the context of Russian aggression.
He stated this in an interview with Valeurs actuelles.
“Our absolute ‘red line’ is the demilitarization of Ukraine. We must be consistent. We cannot deny Ukraine membership in NATO and at the same time agree to it being left without an army. Ukrainians must be able to defend themselves,” Lecornu said.
He also added that this moment is key in the issue of security of countries near Ukraine.
Lecornu added that the “Coalition of the Determined” allows Ukraine to think about the future format of its army, and France – about the possibilities for its industry.
“I want to emphasize that if we do not help Ukraine to protect our economic interests, we will be the stupidest in Europe if we do not take care of this,” the minister noted.
As a reminder, negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on May 16. During the meeting, the Russians stated that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from 4 regions that the Russian Federation has not captured militarily as a prerequisite for a ceasefire.
Also, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov once again voiced the Kremlin’s demands for Ukraine’s neutral and nuclear-free status .
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