French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France and Kyiv’s allies “cannot abandon Ukraine,” even though the country will not be joining NATO.
Speaking during an interview on the French TV channel TF1, he addressed a wide range of topics, including Ukraine’s future and ongoing peace negotiations.
“The first guarantee of Ukraine’s security must be a strong Ukrainian army. We cannot abandon Ukraine, even if it will not join NATO. We must provide reassurance forces in areas far from the front line,” the French president said.
Macron hails Kyiv
He also praised Kyiv’s “clear-eyed” recognition of the limits of its military capabilities after three years of war, acknowledging that Ukraine is unlikely to reclaim all the territories captured by Russian forces.
He went on to discuss the potential for new sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to implement a proposed one-month ceasefire.
“Russia wants the ceasefire to be discussed in Turkey. We want to apply sanctions against Russia in the next few days, in agreement with the United States,” he explained.
