President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with President of France Emmanuel Macron.
The Ukrainian leader described in detail the battlefield situation. In particular, the tasks set by the Russian dictator for their command: take control of Pokrovsk and advance to the borders of the Kursk region, even at the expense of heavy personnel losses. For this purpose, the Russian group in the Kursk region was increased to 60,000. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainian warriors are holding their positions and destroying Russian potential in the border area, which is very important.
The President of Ukraine also informed his counterpart about the consequences of the Russian Federation's shelling on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and thanked France for its readiness to help with the urgent strengthening of air defense, particularly at the tactical level.
The leaders instructed their teams to intensify the dialogue between the Ministries of Defense on the joint production of certain types of weapons.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed particular gratitude for France's military support: the supply of defense packages, including long-range capabilities, training of the Anne of Kyiv Brigade and the expedited process of transferring Mirage aircraft.
The Presidents agreed on the need to hold a meeting at the level of Ukraine's key partners to maximize and strengthen Ukraine's positions in a timely manner. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that this is necessary to bring closer a just peace, which can be done only in a strong position. That is why Ukraine needs an invitation to join NATO, the expansion of long-range capabilities and the continued training and manning of brigades – both on allied territories and through the development of France’s idea of training missions within Ukraine.
Separately, the Ukrainian leader stated that he expects decisive messages from the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting, which will be held at the level of foreign ministers.