There should be no "red lines" in support of Ukraine, in particular in issue of long-range or NATO, - French Ambassador Weissier
French Ambassador to Ukraine Gael Weissier said that there should be no "red lines" in supporting Ukraine, including in terms of long-range, including NATO.
According to Censor.NET, citing Interfax-Ukraine, the ambassador said this during the presentation of the results of the survey "Foreign Policy and Security. Moods of Ukrainian society".
"Having clearly stated, in particular in February last year, that there should be no red lines on our part. Including in the long-range, including with NATO, and this is something with which we had no problems. I think that sometimes it is important to take some risks for public opinion, but in order to be able to say that we need to do more to support Ukraine," the ambassador said.
He noted that high expectations are placed on international partners, and that is fair.
Regarding the discussions on security guarantees for Kyiv, Weissier stressed that France and Ukraine's other partners have a responsibility "to think about it and to prepare".
"So that when the time comes, if Ukraine asks us, we will be able to support them as much as we can and fully participate in a process that will lead to a simply lasting and sustainable peace. But the important thing is that it has to be initiated by Ukraine. Ukraine is a victim. It is up to Ukraine to determine when it can speak and on what basis, and we are here to support it," Weissier said.
According to him, this also means technical planning of what "we can and cannot do militarily", and it also means "planning politically".
Weissier added that France is trying to provide strong support to Ukraine, recalling diplomatic efforts, including in Paris and in Notre Dame last Saturday.
"It was very important for Ukrainians to have the opportunity to speak directly with President-elect Trump," the ambassador added.
He also noted that France provides strong humanitarian, civilian, and military support, although it does not talk about it much.
"Because we don't believe in adding numbers to numbers, we believe in fulfilling our commitments," explained Weissier, recalling that France was the first country to supply light tanks to Ukraine, after which many other countries started supplying tanks as well.
