Statement by the President of Ukraine During the Joint Press Conference with the President of France

Thank you, Emmanuel, for our truly friendly relationship, and thank you for France’s support for Ukraine!

I greatly appreciate our meetings, our cooperation, and your personal support. Thank you!

Dear Mr. President,

Dear journalists,

I want to thank all of you separately for your attention to Ukraine and for the strong, unwavering support that continues. Unfortunately, the war continues as well, and that is why we count on this support to continue.

We had a thorough conversation today with the President of France, with Emmanuel. I briefed him on the work of our delegation and on the reports from Florida. Emmanuel shared his assessment, and I value all of your advice, thank you very much. We spoke with European leaders, as the President has already mentioned: the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, the European Commission, the European Council, and the NATO Secretary General. And I am grateful for this assistance and for organizing today’s discussion – it was important, very important. We also thank President Trump for his assistance and for the work of his team with our delegation. Together with Emmanuel, we also spoke today with our delegations. We were in contact with Rustem Umerov, a Ukrainian representative, and Steve Witkoff, on the American side. Keir Starmer was also with us on that call. There will be more contacts and more meetings.

These are special days, when a great deal can truly change – and change every single day. Yesterday, the Ukrainian delegation held negotiations in the United States. Tomorrow, as we all already know, the Envoy of the President of the United States will be in Russia. We are making every effort to bring this war to an end – and it must be ended with dignity. And if everyone now works not only actively but also honestly for the sake of peace and guaranteed security, we may achieve exactly the result that is needed for Ukraine, for Europe, and also, I am certain, for America – for the long-term interests of the democratic world. Although at times it may seem that everybody is on their own – the United States, Europe – we all equally need security and normal economic development, believe me. And that is our shared interest. And therefore our shared interest is to live without war. Russia must end this war – the war it alone started and continues. It is solely Russia’s war, and it is Russia that must put an end to its aggression. Our joint actions contribute to this.

Ukraine’s priorities are clear. First and foremost – defense and security guarantees, guarantees of preserving Ukraine’s independence and our sovereignty. We will defend this. We are working to ensure that there will be no third Russian invasion and no disruption of agreements to end the war. Russia has broken its promises so many times, violated every agreement, and disrupting peace is very easy for Russia. That is why Ukraine needs reliable security guarantees, for all of us, for all Ukrainians. You can all see how the war has changed over these nearly four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Strike drones, missiles – far more powerful, far more massive. And you know that the Russians keep targeting Ukraine every day. Today, there was a brutal missile strike on our city, on Dnipro – unfortunately, people were killed. My condolences to the families and loved ones. This threat of strikes must be eliminated. And therefore, security oversight is also a critical issue – one that must be resolved.

I am grateful to France and to all our partners who, within the Coalition of the Willing, are preparing this – real security. We also must make sure that Russia itself does not feel that it is receiving anything that could be perceived as a reward for this war. War must not become a profitable venture, so that others do not want to repeat such actions. That is why we take principled stances on sanctions, on accountability for war crimes, on the legal status of our territories currently occupied by Russian forces, on Russian assets, and on the obligation of reconstruction – the aggressor must pay for its aggression. The stronger the international community’s shared positions on these points, the more reliable and lasting peace will be. And this depends not only on Ukraine – it depends on our unified position in Europe and on the position of the United States. It determines not only when this war will end, but also how long the next war will not pose a threat. Principled positions now, in preparing the relevant agreement, are what will ensure the long-term peace after this war. All partners must understand this equally – all the challenges and risks.

One more thing. Now, in December, in France – and Emmanuel mentioned this – the time of Ukraine begins in the cultural dimension: Ukraine’s cultural season is kicking off, and this highlights the importance of our relations and the significance of Ukraine for all of Europe. The First Ladies of Ukraine and France are working toward this. I am grateful to every university in France – twelve universities have joined Ukrainian studies. I thank all other French educational and cultural institutions for their support and assistance, for taking on Ukrainian educational and cultural projects. This is very important for us. Culture always strengthens politics, and we are working for the strongest possible relations with France – the strongest possible. That is exactly how it will be, I am certain.

Of course, the main topic we discussed today was ending the war and the support of our partners, including, unquestionably, the support of France. But we also raised issues of our bilateral relations. I am very grateful for the latest package – the defense package, as I said. It is very important for us. And the deliveries have begun. I am very grateful to you, Emmanuel, and to all the institutions that are accelerating this process. We discussed aircraft and air defense systems, and, of course, these issues are always on our agenda. We also spoke a bit about our economic relations and raised the topic of recognizing our driver’s licenses. There are many issues in progress.

I thank you for such strong support from your country for our people. Thank you once again.

Glory to Ukraine!

Thank you, Emmanuel!