West should 'not set red lines' on providing military support for Ukraine, French foreign minister says
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the BBC in an excerpt of an interview published on Nov. 23 that Western allies should "not set and express red lines" on providing Ukraine with military support against Russian aggression.
The comments come just days after U.S. President Joe Biden approved Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied long-range missile to strike targets within Russia, many months after President Volodymyr Zelensky first made the request.
Days before the approval, the leaders of France and the U.K. met in Paris on Nov. 11 to discuss a last-ditch attempt to persuade the U.S. to allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with Western weapons before Donald Trump enters the White House in January.
Barrot's comments come as EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola, on Nov. 23, also called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine — even as Scholz has repeatedly denied the possibility of supplying Ukraine with the weaponry, fearing that Germany would be brought into the war with Russia.
"(France) will support Ukraine as intensely and as long as necessary. Why? Because it is our security that is at stake. Each time the Russian army progresses by one square kilometre, the threat gets one square kilometre closer to Europe," Barrot said.
Barrot stated that Ukraine could use French-supplied long-range missiles "in the logics of self defence" to strike targets within Russia, but did not elaborate as to whether Kyiv has already used the French-provided weapons.
During the interview Barrot also hinted France may eventually invite Ukraine to join NATO as part of Zelensky's five-point victory plan.
"We are open to extending an invitation, and so in our discussions with friends and allies, and friends and allies of Ukraine, we are working to get them to closer to our positions."
Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would consider sending French troops to Ukraine in the case of a Russian breakthrough at the front or if Ukraine requested it.
When asked by the BBC whether sending French troops would constitute a so-called red-line, Barrot said that France would "not discard any option."
Barrot's comments comes as Russia continues to intensify its attacks along the eastern front in recent weeks, putting Ukrainian forces under mounting pressure as they struggle to defend key positions.
In total, almost 580,000 Russian soldiers are participating in combat against Ukraine, Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), told Interfax Ukraine on Nov. 21.
Dmytro Basmat
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