Today at 14:32
French Defence Minister Sébastien Le Coronneu has said that calls for the demilitarisation of Ukraine should be abandoned, stressing the importance of its well-armed forces for the future European security architecture.
This was reported by The Guardian.
Lecorneuil said that Europe should reject calls for the demilitarisation of Ukraine, stressing that France would not support any attempt to demilitarise the Ukrainian army.
On 11 March, Le Coronneu opened the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum, which brought together more than 30 army commanders to discuss possible measures to support Ukraine in the context of a peaceful settlement of the conflict with Russia.
The minister noted that Europe has entered a ‘new era’ in history, which is significantly different from the Cold War and the period of ‘peace dividends’ when world powers competed for influence.
He also drew attention to the new US administration and noted that ongoing discussions will address how NATO and the West can protect the eastern flank if some or even one of the countries reduces their contributions in the future.
Regarding Ukraine, Lecorneuil stressed that any possible ceasefire should be carefully planned, as Russia has a track record of not honouring such agreements.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the meeting of the chiefs of staff would focus on the possible ‘deployment of European forces’ in Ukraine, which ‘will not go to the front line’ but will ‘guarantee full compliance’ with the peace once it is established.
Macron also stressed that the conditions for ending the Russian-Ukrainian war cannot be such that they would mean Ukraine’s de facto surrender, and that a lasting peace is necessary for the security of the entire European continent.
