ODESA: French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna arrived on Thursday in Odesa, the strategic port city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, as part of France’s efforts to boost its relationship with Ukraine and discuss its needs in the coming months.
UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, on Wednesday designated the city’s historic center a “World Heritage in Danger” site.
Colonna was in Odesa shortly after missile strikes hit crucial power infrastructure facilities in the surrounding region, causing blackouts in the city. She was due to visit one of the damaged sites.
The visit aims to send a message to Moscow amid Western fears that Russia, almost a year after invading Ukraine, may still want to launch an attack on the city to deprive Ukraine of its key maritime outlet for grain products.
“If Russia’s objective is really to deprive Ukraine of all access to the sea, one day it will have to go as far as Odesa, knowing that Odesa, moreover, is the gateway to destabilize even more Moldova, Romania, and the European territory as a whole,” a French diplomatic source told reporters ahead of the visit.
“The idea is to show that Odesa is not only a Ukrainian city, but a city designated as World Heritage,” he said.
As part of the trip, Colonna is due to meet her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, to discuss humanitarian and military aid. The discussion is likely to include the question of whether France is ready to supply Leclerc main battle tanks after the United States and Germany committed to send tanks, opening the door for other allies to do so.
France has so far agreed to send AMX-10 RCs armored combat vehicles, but stopped short of committing to sending the Leclercs. Paris argues that, unlike the German Leopards, which are omnipresent across Europe with as many as 2,000 available, there are only about 200 Leclercs. They are also no longer produced.
French sources say the Leclerc is heavy on maintenance making it difficult to create a logistical chain in Ukraine and given Paris would only be able to provide a small number, making their value on the ground limited. The government has said it is studying the request and would make a decision soon.
“I’m not saying it won’t happen, but I don’t think it would make a huge difference,” the diplomat said, adding that Kyiv had made clear to France that its priority from Paris was air defense and radar systems as well as ammunition.
“This is not a delivery competition,” he said.
French foreign minister arrives in Odesa to assess Ukraine’s needs
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French foreign minister arrives in Odesa to assess Ukraine’s needs
- The discussion is likely to include the question of whether France is ready to supply Leclerc main battle tanks
- France has so far agreed to send AMX-10 RCs armored combat vehicles
Kyiv ready for talks ‘next week’ with US over Russia proposals: Zelensky
- “Ukraine is ready to work in all working formats,” said Zelensky.
- “It is important that there are results and that the meetings take place“
KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday his negotiators were waiting to hear from the United States on further meetings about ending the war with Russia.
Zelensky’s remarks in his evening address appeared to suggest that a second round of talks scheduled to start in Abu Dhabi on Sunday between US, Russian and Ukrainian officials on ending the fighting had been postponed.
“Ukraine is ready to work in all working formats,” said Zelensky.
“It is important that there are results and that the meetings take place. We are counting on meetings next week and are preparing for them.”
Zelensky was speaking as US envoy Steve Witkoff said he had had “productive and constructive” talks with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida on Saturday.
Teams from Ukraine and Russia met Friday and Saturday last week in Abu Dhabi in their first in-person negotiations on a plan being pushed by President Donald Trump to end the war.
They had agreed to resume talks there on Sunday.
On Thursday however, Zelensky suggested that the date and venue could change given the current tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The US says both sides are close to a deal, but they have so far been unable to find a compromise on the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement, according to Kyiv.
