President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the delegation of the National Assembly of France led by its President Yaël Braun-Pivet.
The President noted that the first-ever visit of the head of the lower house of the French Parliament to Ukraine, which is taking place at a crucial time for our country, is clear evidence of solidarity on the part of the French Republic, support for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
During the meeting, the key attention was paid to the illegal holding of sham referenda in the temporarily occupied territories of our country and the world's reaction to it.
"With its aggressive policy, Russia continues artificial referenda, and it is very important that all our partners, all leaders of the civilized world, and certainly France, support Ukraine and condemn these fake referenda as strongly as possible," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The importance of the fact that France categorically does not recognize the sham referenda that Russia held in the occupied territories of Ukraine was noted separately.
The President noted that the Ukrainian side counts on the strengthening of EU sanctions and the approval of the eighth package of sanctions, which should be much stronger than the previous ones and synchronized with the illegal decisions of the Russian Federation as soon as possible.
The Head of State emphasized the significant defense support for Ukraine from France and noted the special role of President Emmanuel Macron in this matter. Emphasis was placed on the need to continue and enhance military-technical aid.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine received the status of a candidate for joining the European Union precisely during the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In this regard, the Head of State thanked the President of the French Republic and the entire French people for their broad support for the European integration of our country, and also expressed his belief in Ukraine's continued progress on this path.
"We saw how the French society supported us on the streets of France at the beginning of the aggression, and then at the time of solving an important geopolitical issue regarding the candidacy and EU membership," the President said.
Discussing the topic of Russia's nuclear blackmail of the world at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the Head of State thanked France and President Emmanuel Macron personally for the active efforts in organizing the visit of the IAEA mission to the plant.
Given the scale and nature of the Russian Federation's crimes in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the French parliament to adopt a decision on designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
In the framework of the meeting, special attention was paid to the issues of important comprehensive aid that France provides to Ukraine (security, diplomatic, political and financial), as well as promising directions for its increase, taking into account the current needs of our country.
On the eve of the 90th Holodomor anniversary, the President of Ukraine urged French legislators to recognize this tragedy as an act of genocide of the Ukrainian people.