Paris and Berlin show support for Kyiv. The new head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Sejournay, and his German counterpart on Sunday confirmed their countries’ determination to support Ukraine “as much as necessary” in the face of Russia’s offensive, AFP reports.

“We fully agree” that “we should support the Ukrainians as much as it is necessary,” said Stephane Sejourne during his first visit as a minister to Berlin. “This means that we have to organize coordinated initiatives at the European level” regarding the “protection of our values ​​and interests,” added the minister, who visited Kyiv the day before, without providing details.

The point of view of France was shared by the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Berbock. “We must stand by Ukraine as long as necessary, until Russia leaves” from Ukrainian territory, the minister said. Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not stopping” in this war, “he doesn’t want to stop,” she added.

The position of the two ministers comes at a time when Kyiv is concerned that its European and American allies are increasingly reluctant to give it more help to counter the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been trying to remobilize his allies in recent weeks. “Sometimes the hesitation of our partners regarding financial and military aid to Ukraine only adds courage and strength to Russia,” he said in Vilnius on January 10.