No “red lines” in support of Ukraine - French Foreign Minister
Kyiv • UNN
The French Foreign Minister stated that there are no “red lines” in supporting Ukraine and that he authorized strikes on Russian territory. He also did not rule out the possibility of French troops taking part in the fighting.
There are no "red lines" when it comes to supporting Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview with the BBC. He also confirmed the country's permission to strike with long-range weapons on the territory of Russia, UNN reports .
The French foreign minister said that Ukraine could fire French long-range missiles at Russia "in self-defense," but did not confirm whether French weapons had already been used.
"The principle was established...our messages to President Zelensky were well received," he said in an interview.
Barro pointed out that Western allies should not place any restrictions on support for Ukraine against Russia, and "not set or express red lines.
When asked whether this could mean French troops taking part in the fighting, he said: "We are not ruling out any options.
"We will support Ukraine as intensively and as long as necessary. Why? Because our security is at stake. Every time the Russian army advances one square kilometer, the threat becomes one square kilometer closer to Europe," he said.
Barro hinted at the possibility of inviting Ukraine to join NATO, as requested by President Zelenskyy. "We are ready to extend an invitation, and so in our discussions with friends and allies, friends and allies of Ukraine, we are working to bring them closer to our position," Barro said.
He also suggested that Western countries would have to increase defense spending, saying: "Of course, we're going to have to spend more if we want to achieve more, and I think we have to face these new challenges.
Addendum
The comments of the French Foreign Minister come after a week of significant escalation in Ukraine. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that Russia attacked Ukraine by testing a "new" intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik.
The GUR reported that a new ballistic missile of the Kedr complex with six warheads was fired at Dnipro. The missile covered the distance from Astrakhan in 15 minutes at a speed of over Mach 11.
