(Paris) French President Emmanuel Macron assured Friday, alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, that he wanted to “finalize a coalition” of countries ready to send military instructors to Ukraine and confirmed the upcoming start of training of Ukrainian pilots on French Mirage 2000-5 fighters.

“Several of our partners have already given their agreement” and “we will use the coming days to finalize a coalition,” declared the head of state during a press conference at the Élysée, deeming it “legitimate” this request from Ukraine.  

The Ukrainians have “explicitly expressed the needs for a simple reason”, they are in the process of “mobilizing very strongly” and will have to “train tens of thousands of soldiers”, which is “more practical on Ukrainian soil », Underlined the French president.  

He also called on Russia to immediately release Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, a collaborator of a Swiss NGO accused of collecting intelligence on the Russian army, denouncing “propaganda elements” about him which “do not correspond to reality”.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, President Macron’s announcements of military support for Ukraine show that France is “ready to participate directly in the conflict.”

While he refused to specify the number of Mirage 2000-5s that could be sold by France, nor the other countries that could do the same, President Macron assured that the training of pilots and mechanics would begin “within the next few days” in France.

The two presidents also witnessed the signing of two agreements with 650 million euros in loans and donations to Ukraine to support in particular the critical energy infrastructures targeted by Russia.

The Franco-German arms group KNDS, which notably manufactures Caesar cannons, has also formalized the creation of a subsidiary in Ukraine.

On the political front, the French president also supported the “effective launch” of negotiations for Ukraine’s accession to the EU “by the end of the month”, despite opposition from Hungary.

During a midday meeting with his American counterpart Joe Biden in Paris – both were in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy – Volodymyr Zelensky was also promised new US aid of 225 million of dollars.  

“You didn’t fold. You did not give in at all,” said Joe Biden, presenting his “apologies” for the months of negotiations that preceded the painful adoption by the American Congress of a support package for Ukraine.

Kyiv continues to ask Europe to increase its military support, as Russia gains ground in eastern and northern Ukraine and allies worry about the consequences of a possible conflict on the conflict. victory of Donald Trump in the next American presidential election.

Addressing French deputies the day after the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, the Ukrainian president painted a black picture of the situation on the Old Continent.

“Again in Europe, cities are being completely destroyed and villages are being burned,” said the Ukrainian president, whose country has been targeted since February 2022 by a deadly Russian offensive.  

“Again in Europe, filtration camps, deportations and hatred appear,” he listed, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “a common enemy” of his country and Europe.

The Ukrainian head of state also said that victory was possible, despite Russian advances on the front. “Can we win this battle? Certainly, yes,” he assured.

Emmanuel Macron accused certain “pacifists” of being “capitulators”, in an allusion to some of his opponents, notably in France, who criticize him for his position on Ukraine and call for negotiations with Russia.

“We know this camp of pacifists, it’s that of the capitulators, it’s the spirit of defeat,” he said.