Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked on Sunday evening in Paris to speed up the process of his country’s accession to the European Union and NATO, while asking that the North Atlantic Alliance guarantee Ukraine’s security even before its accession.

Mr. Zelensky has been in France since Sunday evening, arriving from Italy and Germany, and had an official dinner with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

“During the meeting, priority was given to the issue of France’s military assistance to Ukraine, in particular, the priority needs of our country in strengthening its defense capability, in protecting the Ukrainian sky,” the Ukrainian head of state said in a statement.

They also discussed practical cooperation with France in order to strengthen the potential of the Ukrainian defense forces, which is necessary for an effective counterattack and the liberation of the occupied territories.

Zelensky thanked Macron for his leadership and expressed hope that France would support the allies’ principled joint decision to form a “coalition of warplanes” that Ukraine had long awaited and discussed during his visit to Berlin on Sunday morning with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

It is specified that on Monday, Mr. Zelensky will leave for London, where he will also meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Ukrainian formula for peace

In addition, Macron and Zelensky discussed issues of cooperation for the effective implementation of the Ukrainian formula for peace. The President of Ukraine expressed his hope that as many countries as possible, and especially the countries of the South, would participate in the World Peace Summit to be held this year.

He also thanked the French leader for his diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine and achieving a just peace based on the Ukrainian peace formula.

During the meeting, the issue of France’s support for the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine was discussed separately. Mr. Zelensky thanked the French leader for the consistent support of Ukraine on the path to EU membership and expressed hope for a decision to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union within a year.

The Ukrainian head of state also discussed with the French President further steps on Ukraine’s path to NATO membership and stressed separately that Ukraine expects specific political decisions from the NATO summit in Vilnius in response to Kiev’s application for membership in the Alliance.

“We expect concrete decisions from the Alliance regarding a clear roadmap for Ukraine to NATO membership and a guarantee of our country’s security for the period before joining,” Zelensky said.

Source: Ukrinform