French, Ukrainian defence ministers meet in Paris

Описание: (31 Jan 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

AP VIA AGENCY POOL (AFPTV)
Paris - 31 January 2023
1. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov arriving at French Defence Ministry and being greeted by French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu
2. Wide of ceremony welcoming Reznikov
3. Reznikov and Lecornu walking, inspecting troops
4. Lecornu shaking hands with members of Ukrainian delegation
5. Reznikov and Lecornu walking to garden entrance of ministry and posing for photos before entering building
STORYLINE:
Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, met with his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, during a visit to Paris on Tuesday.

Ukraine is pushing its Western allies to provide it with fighter jets, a week after winning pledges of sophisticated modern tanks to help it beat back Russia’s invasion force after almost a year of fighting.

Discussions about the possible delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine were expected to be on the agenda in talks during Reznikov's visit.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France had not excluded sending fighter jets to Ukraine, but laid out multiple conditions before such a significant step might be taken.

The conditions, he said, include not leading to an escalation of tensions or using the aircraft “to touch Russian soil,” and not resulting in weakening “the capacities of the French army."

He also said Ukraine must formally request the planes, something that could happen during Reznikov's talks in Paris.

France has sent Ukraine air-defence systems, rocket launcher units, cannons and other military equipment and has pledged to send armoured surveillance and combat vehicles, but has stopped short of sending battle tanks or heavier weaponry.

Reznikov's visit was only announced on Monday by Macron.

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