Catherine Colonna noted that the French side intends to strengthen the country's potential "in the long term"
MOSCOW, July 9. /tass/. France is preparing a new package of military assistance for Ukraine and intends to continue supporting Kiev as long as necessary. This was stated by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
"New supplies of military aid are being prepared in order to constantly take into account the urgent needs expressed by Ukraine," the minister said in an interview with the Ukrainian division of the French radio station RFI. At the same time, she did not specify what kind of weapon she was talking about.
The column said that France intends to strengthen the potential of Ukraine "in the long term," which is why President Emmanuel Macron offered to train military pilots for it.
"The support we provide is aimed at ensuring that, in cooperation with our allies and partners, we meet the needs expressed by the Ukrainian authorities. First of all, we are talking about helping Ukraine defend itself in the very short term <...> by focusing special attention on air defense and artillery. This support will be continued and strengthened," she added.
Speaking about the upcoming NATO summit next week, Colonna noted that France is working with several partners to determine security guarantees that can be provided to Ukraine "not instead of, but in parallel with the process of its integration into NATO."
