Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Berlin and Paris on Friday February 16 to sign security agreements intended to guarantee his country long-term military and financial support, at a time when it is struggling to repel Russian aggression.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz will receive the Ukrainian leader in the morning. The signing of the agreement will be followed by a press conference, said a German government spokesperson. Volodymyr Zelensky is then expected in Paris where a similar partnership will be signed late in the afternoon at the Élysée Palace. His interview with Emmanuel Macron will be followed by a joint press conference and a working dinner.

Almost two years after the start of the Russian offensive, on February 24, 2022, “our determination (to support Ukraine) is there, does not weaken and will not weaken”, insisted an advisor to the French head of state . “We are also determined to defeat this bet that Russia is making”, which “is banking on the long term, on our weariness”, he insisted.

These agreements follow the commitments that were made in G7 format on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023. The leaders of the Atlantic Alliance did not then set a timetable for Ukraine's membership, to the great displeasure of the latter, but the G7 countries had committed to providing "long-term" military support in order to help it face the current Russian offensive and deter Russia from any future attack. against his neighbor.

"War of Numbers"

The United Kingdom was the first to conclude such an agreement during a visit by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to kyiv on January 12. The member states of the European Union had not yet taken the plunge. Ukraine is continuing negotiations with other G7 countries, from Italy to the United States. Twenty-five other states have also joined the G7 initiative, from Poland to Scandinavia.

The agreement signed between kyiv and Paris will cover "long-term military support for Ukraine" as well as "economic support and civil assistance to strengthen Ukraine's resilience", noted the Élysée, without further details.

Its content will be made public during the press conference, as will a summary of the military aid granted by France, regularly judged to be much lower than that of its main partners, which Paris disputes.

"We are not in a war of numbers. All of this cannot be reduced to figures", underlined the Élysée, highlighting the "qualitative aspect" of the equipment delivered (cannons, long-range Scalp missiles). , Crotale anti-aircraft systems, A2SM surface-to-air missiles, etc.).

Concretely, these security agreements may concern the granting of military equipment, interoperable with that of NATO, the training of Ukrainian forces and the strengthening of Ukraine's defense industry.

Artillery reinforcements

On the ground, the situation is proving difficult for the Ukrainians who lack men, weapons and ammunition, while a new American aid package is blocked in Congress. In this context, kyiv is urging the EU to increase its deliveries of artillery shells and to "sign long-term contracts with companies" in the Ukrainian defense sector.

In January, Paris was behind the establishment of an “artillery coalition” aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s capabilities against Russia. France has said it is ready to produce 78 Caesar cannons in 2024 and early 2025 for Ukraine, in addition to the 30 already delivered. Mounted on a truck, the Caesar can fire 155mm shells up to 40 kilometers away.

Olaf Scholz, for his part, gave the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for the construction of a new shell manufacturing plant for the Rheinmetall company which intends to produce, on all of its sites in Europe, up to 700,000 artillery shells per year in 2025, compared to 400 to 500,000 this year.

With AFP

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