France increases its military assistance to Ukraine by €170 mln

During the NATO summit in Vilnius, the French and Ukrainian defense ministers signed an agreement to increase military assistance to Ukraine.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov made the relevant statement on Twitter.

Today in Vilnius we signed an agreement between the Ministries of Defense of Ukraine and France. The agreement provides for an increase in military assistance to Ukraine by 170 million euros. It will also simplify the process of purchasing and supplying weapons to Ukraine. A framework for joint production of spare parts and maintenance of foreign weapons and equipment has been established, the statement says.

On the first day of the NATO summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France would supply Ukraine with SCALP long-range missiles, which are similar to the British Storm Shadow.

Ukrainian defense minister says Ukraine has reached an agreement with 11 partner states on forming a coalition that will train pilots on F-16 combat aircraft, tweeting from Vilnius.

With his visit to the NATO summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a public crowd in Lithuania on Tuesday, saying that the Ukrainian flag is "still alive and free" despite being under attack.

Zelensky pointed to a Ukrainian flag sent from the embattled city of Bakhmut, saying it is a symbol that Lithuania and the rest of Europe will never have to fight Russian soldiers because there will be no war in Europe. Ukraine will protect its freedom and Europe's freedom, he added.