Kuleba outlines issues raised during negotiations with French foreign minister

As part of talks in the city of Kyiv, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba and French Europe and Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Séjourné discussed the further supply of air defense systems and corresponding missiles to Ukraine, the involvement of new countries in the Ukrainian Peace Formula, the development of defense cooperation, and Ukraine’s steps towards EU and NATO membership.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a joint press conference with his French counterpart in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy expressed gratitude to France for providing comprehensive support for Ukraine, namely in terms of strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses.

“Today we have discussed the further supply of systems and missiles for the protection of the Ukrainian sky, as well as the supply of drones to Ukraine... Today we have coordinated the steps on the way to NATO’s Washington summit. Additionally, we spoke of the calendar (in the period) between January and late June, during which specific steps should take place towards Ukraine’s membership in the EU,” Kuleba told.

In his words, the above calendar is very clear: it is necessary to start the official screening of Ukraine, endorse decisions on the approval of the negotiating framework and the date of the first intergovernmental conference, and hold it.

“We have agreed that France will support not just Ukraine’s integration into the EU but the compliance of specific deadlines in this path,” Kuleba noted.

According to Ukraine’s top diplomat, the parties also agreed to jointly work on the involvement of Asian, African and Latin American countries in the Peace Formula, which was proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Special attention during talks was paid to defense cooperation between the two countries.

“We have already laid the basis for extensive cooperation between defense companies. This cooperation will include the localization of production in Ukraine, joint production of the most necessary weapons. Today, we have agreed to work on creating the most favorable conditions for the interaction of our defense companies, primarily in the legal sphere, so that they can produce as many weapons as possible,” Kuleba explained.

A reminder that the newly appointed Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, Stéphane Séjourné, arrived in Kyiv on January 13, 2024.