“France was the initiator of the coalition of the willing — a group of countries ready to work on providing sustained support to Ukraine, strengthening the Ukrainian army, and deploying a contingent in Ukraine. President Macron recalled that a year ago his idea was met with skepticism. Today, the coalition consists of 35 countries, 25 of which have agreed to take concrete action in one form or another”
Vadym Omelchenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to France, devoted his speech at the IV Ukraine–France Forum to reviewing the results of bilateral relations over the past year and outlining a strategic vision for their future development. The focus was on defence cooperation, political dialogue, support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, recovery efforts, and economic partnership:
- France has firmly established itself as a global political, economic, humanitarian, and defence hub for supporting Ukraine — many key decisions on Ukraine’s support are now made in Paris. The intensity of bilateral contacts is unprecedented: in 2025 alone, there have been 52 meetings at the senior and highest levels;
- France is a leader in uniting allies and scaling up support for Ukraine. Following the change of administration in the United States, Paris intensified its diplomatic efforts, taking on a leading role in consolidating allied support. France became one of the initiators of the coalition of the willing — a group of countries committed to strengthening Ukraine’s armed forces and defence industry, as well as deploying a contingent on Ukrainian territory. The initiative is now supported by 35 countries, 25 of which are ready to take concrete action;
- defence cooperation has reached a qualitatively new level. France is providing Ukraine with modern weapons systems, air defence capabilities, ammunition, NATO-standard missiles, and Mirage fighter jets. Ukrainian soldiers undergo regular training, while French defence companies are actively entering the Ukrainian market;
- France has provided €200 million in grant support for the restoration of critical infrastructure, including €60 million for the energy sector. Nineteen French companies have already received funding for reconstruction projects, and another 54 are participating in competitive selection;
- both Ukrainian and French governments are preparing a strategic cooperation agreement in five key areas: defence industry, space and aviation, digital technologies, infrastructure and reconstruction, and nuclear energy.
Watch the recording in Ukrainian: https://cutt.ly/JrMLTgUJ
The Forum is organized by the New Europe Center in partnership with Ifri with the support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. For this event, the New Europe Center is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation.
