The German Chancellor and the French President condemned Russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine, especially the missile attack on Poltava. Paris to supply arms worth 1.4 billion euros to Kyiv.
Berlin and Paris reaffirmed their full support for the Ukrainian people in the war started by Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron announced this on Friday, September 6, after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Evian, eastern France. Macron’s statement was published on the official website of the Elysee Palace. According to Emmanuel Macron, during the meeting, the two politicians “recalled their determination to support Ukraine as long and as intensively as necessary to ensure the failure of Russia’s offensive war.”
The German Chancellor and the French President strongly condemned the Russian missile attack on Poltava on September 3. As a result of the impact of two “Iskander-M” ballistic missiles on the city, the six-story building of the Institute of Communications was destroyed, as well as hospitals and adjacent houses. At least 55 people were killed and 328 people were injured as a result of the attack.
Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged the missile attack but called it “very specific” in its reports and did not provide details on the total destruction it caused.
The European Commission allocates money for weapons at the expense of Russian assets
Against the background of the meeting between Macron and Scholes, the French Ministry of Defense announced the purchase of weapons for Ukraine worth 1.4 billion euros. These activities are financed by the European Commission from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets as part of EU sanctions against Moscow, reports AFP.
In May, EU countries agreed to use the proceeds of 200 billion euros from Russian assets frozen in the EU to help Ukraine. The first tranche of this money to Kyiv – 1.5 billion euros – was approved in July.
Interest income from the Russian assets is expected to be between 2.5 billion and 3 billion euros per year. All this money is planned to be used to buy weapons for Ukraine and cover the costs of rebuilding the country after the war.
Macron and Scholes again called for a ceasefire in Gaza
In addition, the German chancellor and the French president discussed the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in Evian. The Elysee Palace office noted that the two affirmed the need for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.” Scholes and Macron called on the parties to the conflict to “demonstrate maximum responsibility to ensure the return of peace and stability to the region”.
A few days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a possible agreement between Israel and the Hamas group to release the kidnapped Israelis and end the military operation in the Gaza Strip has not yet been finalized. According to Netanyahu, the leadership of Hamas rejected almost all proposals contained in the plan for regulating the situation in the region proposed by US President Joe Biden in May 2024 and demanded 29 amendments to the text of the document.
