France, which has so far been very reluctant to give certain types of military equipment to Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian invasion, confirmed on Friday that it will send self-propelled guns and anti-tank missiles, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, in an interview with a local newspaper.
In an interview published today by the newspaper Ouest France to a question about whether Europeans should help Ukraine with heavy weapons, Macron indicated that he does not want to interfere in the politics of each country, but at the same time he stressed that there is a lot of coordination and that he spoke about this issue this week with German Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz.
Above all, the French President emphasized that France already provides “important equipment”, and has referred specifically to Caesar self-propelled guns, and Milan anti-tank missiles, and other types of weapons, without giving figures or other details.
“I think,” he added, “that we must continue along that path. Always with a red line, which is not to become belligerent.”
The Caesar system consists of an off-road truck that is equipped with a 155-millimeter gun capable of hitting a target 40 kilometers away. France has taken it to operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Sahel and exported it to seven countries.
According to French sources cited by Ouest France, a dozen Caesars from its Army will be sent to Ukraine, which should serve to accelerate the modernization of that country's artillery park.
As for the Milan anti-tank missiles (developed by the French and German military industry), Le Monde had revealed on March 9 that France had carried “several dozen” between February 28 and March 3.
In another interview on Friday, Macron said he “does not rule out” speaking again with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the event of winning this Sunday's elections, despite the fact that both leaders have not maintained contact since the deaths of dozens of civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bucha came to light.
“I would speak to President (Ukrainian, Volodymyr) Zelensky first,” Macron said in a conversation with France Inter in which he has not closed the door to direct diplomacy with Moscow, in the interest of “saving lives or improving the situation.”
In this regard, he suggested, for example, that there should be a dialogue to achieve a humanitarian plan for the city of Mariupol, located on the shores of the Sea of Azov and besieged by Russian forces. More than 100,000 people would still be inside this locality, according to local authorities.
Macron defended diplomatic efforts and said that 'Europe must be around the table'. “We cannot find ourselves in a situation where, not to speak more with President Putin, the negotiators are the Turkish president, the Chinese or others,” he said.
Macron held several talks with Putin after Putin ordered the military offensive on Ukraine on 24 February. However, the abuses uncovered in Bucha and other enclaves close to Kiev cooled contacts that also involved the foreign minister of Germany, Olef Schultz.
(With information from EFE and EuropaPress)
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