President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with President of France Emmanuel Macron.
The Head of State informed his counterpart about Ukraine’s key defense needs, first and foremost, the reinforcement of air defense. The leaders discussed the supply of additional missiles for the SAMP/T and Crotale systems.
They also specifically addressed the issue of financing the production of Ukrainian drones of all types. Emmanuel Macron confirmed his readiness to assist.
The Presidents of Ukraine and France also discussed the training of Ukrainian pilots on Mirage aircraft. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the importance of France continuing the training and helping to increase the number of trained pilots.
The President of Ukraine informed his counterpart of the outcomes of the third round of negotiations with the Russian side in Istanbul, including the agreement reached on a new prisoner exchange. Ukraine is awaiting Russia’s response to the proposal to hold a meeting at the highest level before the end of August. Ukraine and France share a common position: European representatives must be present at this meeting.
In addition, the leaders discussed in detail Ukraine’s path toward European integration and agreed to work together on opening the first negotiation cluster in the near future. It is important that Ukraine and Moldova continue moving forward in sync.
The conversation also touched upon the functioning of Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure, which is operating in full. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the presidential bill guarantees the independence and effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies and prevents Russian influence over them.
He thanked France for its support and readiness to assist Ukraine.