Zelensky meets with French foreign minister

Photo: OPU

Ksenia Omelchenko

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, the Office of the President reports.

"What is important right now is a powerful signal from France as one of the leaders of the EU regarding artificial referendums held by the russian federation at gunpoint, and the reaction to this should not be verbal. We expect clear sanctions, as in the eighth package of sanctions against the russian federation, and as separate signals of what will happen if the russian federation recognizes these artificial referendums, as well as what NATO countries should do and show to the whole world that they guarantee the security of any state on the European continent," Zelensky said.

At the same time, the head of state emphasized that restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine without modern weapons is impossible, assuring that he appreciates the defense assistance provided by France all these months.

"I am grateful to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, for her visit to Ukraine. It is important for us to know that France is ready to be by Ukraine's side for as long as it takes," added the President.

We will remind you Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Cathrine Colonna, paid a working visit to Ukraine on September 27. She announced this on Twitter.

"Good morning, Ukraine, it's good to be back. France is here to support Ukraine," she wrote.

Bonjour l'Ukraine 🇺🇦, la France 🇨🇵 est à vos côtés. #Kiev

Good morning #Ukraine, it's good to be back. #Kyiv

Доброго ранку #Україно, я рада повернутися #Київ. Франція поруч, щоб підтримати Україну. pic.twitter.com/PoNlKfqqqN

— Catherine Colonna (@MinColonna) September 27, 2022

In May, the French foreign minister became the highest-ranking French official to visit Ukraine since the beginning of russia's invasion.

Colonna recently appointed head of the French Foreign Ministry, then arrived in Ukraine to demonstrate her country's solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Ambassador Etienne de Poncins noted that it was her third recent visit to Kyiv.

The other day Catherine Colonna announced that France would send a support mission for Ukrainian investigators investigating the russian war crimes committed in Izium, Kharkiv region.

Read Rubryka's Timeline of war: current news on Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression.