Joint statement by France and Ukraine.

During the meeting in Paris on May 14, 2023, the Presidents of Ukraine and France issued the following statement:

The presidents of Ukraine and France reaffirmed their unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine has shown remarkable determination to exercise its inherent right to self-defense against this unprovoked and unprovoked attack. Russia must immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders. France and Ukraine have openly called on Russia to withdraw from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, whose reckless capture and militarization pose a serious threat to Russian armed forces.

France maintains an unwavering commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. It pays tribute to the determination and courage of the Ukrainian people and armed forces and acknowledges their significant contribution to the security of the European continent and other countries. It will continue to provide political, financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine as needed. By protecting the security of the European continent, France, Ukraine and other allies are also protecting the international order based on the rule of law.

The military support provided by France since the start of the war for Ukraine to defend itself continues and new supplies are being prepared to permanently take into account Ukraine’s most urgent and immediate needs in strengthening its defense capabilities. France aims to provide comprehensive skills in all sectors. In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RCs. Additionally, France is focusing its efforts on supporting Ukraine’s air defense capabilities to protect its people against Russian attacks. In addition to its national contribution, France actively participates in EU and NATO activities, providing military aid to Ukraine and training Ukrainian soldiers.

Beyond military aid, France has provided civil assistance to Ukraine, including financial, humanitarian and emergency aid. In particular, France has sent two mobile DNA laboratories to Ukraine to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to prosecute war criminals. This help will continue to grow.

France supports the Ukrainian bid for a just and lasting peace based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Ukrainian peace plan offers a series of important objectives, many of which the French Republic is already working on. France expresses its support for the Ukrainian peace plan and declares its readiness to cooperate with Ukraine to ensure broad international participation in the World Peace Summit to be organized in the coming months based on the Ukrainian peace and possible other proposals. Good faith.

Ukraine and France are determined to fight impunity and underline their firm desire to bring to justice perpetrators of war crimes and other atrocities committed in the framework of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. France participates in ongoing international efforts with Ukraine to hold those responsible to account by creating an appropriate mechanism to investigate the crime of aggression. Broad international support is crucial in this regard to ensure that those responsible are punished while providing maximum international legitimacy. Therefore, France, while participating in the small group in charge of perpetrators of crimes of aggression against Ukraine, encourages other countries to join them and build international support for the creation of an ad hoc court. France welcomes the agreement on a new international center responsible for investigating the crime of aggression against Ukraine in The Hague and calls for it to be launched soon.

Ukraine and France reaffirm their support for investigations by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, a step towards the possibility of holding accounts. France has offered additional support to the International Criminal Court to improve its capabilities in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Ukraine and France agree on the need to increase our collective pressure through new sanctions to weaken Russia’s ability to continue its illegal war of aggression. Furthermore, they agree on the need to intensify efforts to ensure the effective implementation of economic sanctions and to deter and prevent violations of these sanctions in third countries as well.

Ukraine and France will continue to work with other countries to develop compensation mechanisms for losses, injuries and damages caused by Russian aggression. To this end, the International Damage Register to be presented at the Council of Europe’s Reykjavik Summit on 16 and 17 May 2023 is an important step. We will continue to explore appropriate options for financing the reparations mechanism, including a firm legal basis for the use of immovable and frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine’s reconstruction and reparations.

Ukraine and France are determined to help countries affected by the consequences of the Russian war, especially to reduce the effects of the food crisis. In this regard, France emphasizes the importance of Ukraine’s systematic efforts to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative and launch the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian project aimed at improving global food security. Ukraine greatly appreciates France’s support for the “Grains from Ukraine” humanitarian project and encourages the strengthening of relevant support.

Ukraine welcomes France’s hosting of the December 13 international conference that helped create the Paris Mechanism to better coordinate emergency aid. France is committed to participating in the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine after the war, with international organizations and its partners. Going forward, it is important to lay the groundwork for an ambitious long-term commitment to unlock concrete opportunities and help the Ukrainian people rebuild their country. It is essential to engage all relevant partners, including private companies and international ones, to ensure the financial support, investment and know-how needed to build Ukraine’s prosperous future.

The future of Ukraine and its people lies within the European family. The European Union has already recognized Ukraine’s European perspective and granted it the status of a candidate country. France firmly supports Ukraine in its reform efforts and its desire to meet the necessary conditions by the end of 2023. It is eagerly awaiting the European Commission’s report to start accession negotiations. Ukraine and France call for continued support of the EU in all areas. As far as military support is concerned, they welcome the recently reached agreements to supply Ukraine with more ammunition and missiles, thanks in particular to the expansion of the European industrial base. Moreover, Ukraine will play an important role in the new European political community and work together with France and Moldova for the success of the Chisinau summit.

Within the framework of NATO, France continues to insist on immediate support for Ukraine. Ukraine maintains its strong support for strengthening its capacity to defend itself and recalls that Ukraine has the right to choose its own security arrangements. France fully supports the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which, according to the Bucharest Declaration, will help to increase and expand ongoing cooperation to help Ukraine continue its path towards the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine and France will address these issues at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.