France ready to work on anti-ballistic systems, Zelenskyy says after call with Macron

Khrystyna Bondarieva , Roman Petrenko - 16 May, 15:58

Zelenskyy and Macron. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reported a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter); European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy thanked Macron for his principled condemnation of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and hromadas. Macron said on 14 May that Russia, with its latest large-scale strikes, is increasing the gravity of its aggression while also showcasing its weakness. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]

Quote: "These attacks make very clear what Russia is and why we all need to strengthen our collective defence against all threats. France is ready to work on anti-ballistic capabilities. This is a strong decision and an important step."

More details: The president added that he and Macron also discussed strengthening Ukraine's ability to repel Russian attacks now.

"Thank you for the readiness to reinforce our air defence," he said.

The two presidents also discussed Ukraine's European integration agenda and the opening of all negotiating clusters in the near future.

"France supports Ukraine and understands how important this step is for all Ukrainians," Zelenskyy said.

Background:

Radio Liberty editor Rikard Jozwiak reported that France and Poland opposed opening more than one cluster with Ukraine before the autumn.
On 13 May, Jozwiak said Poland and France had challenged his assessment of the situation after his article was published.
French Ambassador to Ukraine Gaël Veyssière said he will neither confirm nor deny media reports about the postponement of the opening of some negotiating clusters for Ukraine.

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