Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday the sending “in the next few hours” of “aid to meet the immediate needs” of Ukraine after the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP dam in the south of the country, AFP and Agerpres agencies reported.

Emmanuel MacronPhoto: LUDOVIC MARIN-POOL / Sipa Press / Profimedia

“France condemns this terrible act that endangers people,” the French president said on Twitter after a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyi. “I was able to convey to President Zelensky my solidarity with his people after the attack on the Kakhovskaya dam,” he added.

As reported by the Elysee, the Crisis Center of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs will quickly send the first convoy of about ten tons of health, hygiene and water purification products requested by the Ukrainians, including a mobile tanker truck.

The Ukrainian head of state is on Twitter stated earlier that he mentioned the “ecological and humanitarian consequences of the Russian terrorist act” and emphasized the “urgent need of Ukraine to overcome the catastrophe” in the Kherson region.

Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of destroying the dam located on the Dnieper, on the border between the positions of the two sides.

Cities and villages on both banks, both controlled by Ukraine and occupied by Russia, were flooded.

Zelenskyi noted that he also agreed with Macron on “continuation of defense cooperation”, in particular regarding the air defense of Ukrainian cities.

“We hope that the training of Ukrainian pilots will begin as soon as possible,” he added, while France promised “basic” training without promoting the type of aircraft that Kyiv could supply and use.

The Ukrainian president also thanked his French colleague for the “support” provided in the UN Security Council, and discussed “formats of security guarantees for Ukraine” on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Regarding this issue, Paris confirmed that the goal is “to achieve decisive progress not only on the ground” after the counteroffensive expected by Kyiv, “but also to increase the chances of a lasting peace.”

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