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New French foreign minister in Ukraine capital for first trip abroad

Saturday, 13 January 2024 1:32 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 13 January 2024 1:32 PM ]

French foreign minister Stephane Sojourner (L) and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba meet in Kiev, Ukraine, on January 13, 2024.

The New French foreign minister has visited Ukrainian Capital Kiev as his first official trip abroad, amid Ukraine's war with Russia.

Stephane Sojourner made the visit on Saturday, signaling his country’s ever growing support for Ukraine.

According to the French foreign ministry, the Sojourner’s trip was made “to reiterate France's commitment to its allies and to the civilian population.”

The 38-year-old minister, a close ally to the French President Emmanuel Macron, had already pledged continuing strong support for Ukraine, claiming that, "Helping Ukraine means guaranteeing the victory of democracy."

France's military support to Ukraine amounts to 3.2 billion euros ($3.5 billion), according to a parliamentary report published in November.

In the meantime, an EU aid package worth 50 billion euros ($55 billion) has been stuck in Brussels, while the US Congress remains divided on sending additional aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for more "air defense", as his country has been facing renewed aerial strikes from Russia.

The visit takes place after British Prime minister’s trip to Kiev in which he pledged the largest military aid package for Ukraine since the beginning of the war with Russia.

UK pledges thousands of drones for Ukraine in ‘largest’ military aid package

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledges the largest military aid package for Ukraine since the beginning of the war with Russia, including thousands of military drones.

France pledged to send dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks to Ukraine last year. The military weapons included AMX-10RCs fighting vehicles.

Russia launched what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine on February 22, 2022, after the ex-Soviet republic declared its plan to join the US-led military alliance of NATO.

Since then, the United States and Ukraine’s other Western allies have supplied Kiev with tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems.

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