Volodymyr Zelensky was conducting a press briefing at Kyiv the day before, when he was cut off by a telephone call from his French colleague, Emmanuel Macron .
Interrupting the conference to take a call, the Ukrainian President humorously remarked: "Excuse me, Emmanuel... I've got to chat with some reporters for a moment."
May I call you back in about 15-20 minutes? Thanks, Emmanuel.
Moments later, Zelensky told journalists: 'We have close relations between our countries. He helps a lot. I am very grateful to him.
I'll reach out to him following our discussion," he stated, believing that he communicates with Macron "approximately once daily.
The untimely phone call arrived as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer ready to initiate the construction of Britain's upcoming class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
Sir Keir is set to visit Barrow today. to set the keel of HMS Dreadnought , one of multiple new ships that will assume the role of maintaining Britain's constant maritime nuclear deterrent in the 2030s.
He will subsequently convene a private gathering of senior European military officials to deliberate on the upcoming defense strategies. Ukraine As the so-called "willing coalition" comes together.
Starmer and Macron have spearheaded talks about ensuring Kyiv’s long-term security within Europe, developing a strategy that might involve deploying tens of thousands of peacekeeping forces throughout Ukraine, even though Vladimir has issued cautions. Putin .
Speaking on BBC This morning, Britain’s Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard stated that they aim for the coalition to serve as a ‘credible force’ enabling Ukraine to achieve ‘a sustainable peace’ and allowing them to ‘regroup and rebuild their military’.
If Putin emerges victorious in Ukraine, he won’t cease his actions. Should he manage to conquer all of Ukraine—which has long been his objective—he would then regroup and seek new areas to expand his control and dominance.
'It does not align with our nation's interests, nor those of our European allies,' he stated.
Details of the plan have not been disclosed yet, but it is believed that Britain will be involved. France And other European nations would assume the duty of protecting Ukraine on-site after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Kyiv and the opposing side. Moscow .
Ukrainian military personnel would oversee a demilitarized region along the entire front line, with soldiers from an Anglo-French 'reassurance force' also participating. deployed at critical infrastructure locations throughout the nation .
NATO Air and naval forces will additionally carry out surveillance operations over Ukraine and within the Black Sea region.
Theoretically, the aim of having Western troops present was to discourage potential Russian aggression, relying on the protection offered by US combat aircraft and missile systems kept ready for action in Eastern Europe as an ultimate safeguard.
The American backstop aims to guarantee that any forces deployed will not face challenges from Russia, according to officials familiar with the plans.
However, there are concerns that the US might Donald Trump might decline to offer aerial support, whereas Russia has stated that Western forces stationed in Ukraine would be considered combatants.
The White House's seeming reluctance to support European security has sparked a new era of military buildup throughout the EU.
Macron has proposed increasing France's defense budget twofold during his presidency and more recently aimed even higher, stating that the nation should boost defense expenditures to 3-3.5% of its GDP from the present level of 2%.
Earlier this week, he went to a French Air Force base close to Germany to declare combat aircraft fitted with advanced hypersonic atomic warheads Would be deployed there as part of a restructuring of France's aerial nuclear deterrence force.
"We didn’t wait until 2022 or the current shift to realize that the world we inhabit has grown increasingly perilous and unpredictable, and that it necessitates innovation, strengthening our capabilities, and becoming more self-reliant," he stated on Tuesday.
"In the upcoming weeks, I will unveil fresh investment plans aimed at surpassing the achievements of the last seven years," he stated, mentioning that the administration intends to purchase extra Rafale combat aircraft from French aerospace company Dassault Aviation as replacements for their aging Mirage fighters—some of which have been dispatched to Ukraine.
Macron has also offered to expand the safeguarding of France's nuclear arsenal , referred to as the nuclear deterrent shield, to other nations in Europe.
In the meantime, the German parliament has endorsed a proposal put forward by incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz aimed at significantly boosting expenditures with the objective of stimulating economic recovery and increasing defense budgets.
Following the worldwide financial crisis of 2008, Germany introduced what was referred to as a 'debt brake,' significantly limiting governmental debt issuance.
However, the initiative, which has been regarded as a crucial economic safeguard for quite some time, faced criticism over the past few months due to concerns that it might hinder Germany’s ability to significantly boost its defense expenditures.
Currently, Merz’s conservative party and Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), which are negotiating to establish a center-leaning alliance following last month’s election, aim to eliminate the debt cap and set up a €500 billion fund. This initiative intends to enhance Germany’s infrastructure and boost its defense industry capabilities.
"We have been experiencing a misleading sense of safety for at least ten years," Merz stated to legislators before the voting took place yesterday.
"The choice we make today regarding defense preparedness must amount to nothing short of the initial significant move toward establishing a new European defense community," he stated.
The bill must still be sent to the Bundesrat upper house for an additional vote on Friday but is anticipated to be approved.
Following the approval of the spending package by the Bundestag, Merz stated succinctly: "Germany is back."
The result of the vote garnered extensive acclaim from numerous European allies, such as Macron. After his visit to Luxembourg, he conducted a shared press conference alongside departing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"I would like to commend you on the historic vote in the Bundestag, as this is positive news both for Germany and for Europe. It will allow greater efforts in defense and investments," he stated to journalists.
Scholz, who was speaking alongside Macron, stated that by 'bolstering the European component of NATO, we will reinforce the entire transatlantic alliance.'
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the approval of the expenditure plan by the German parliament was "great news" as it strongly conveyed that Germany is committed to significantly increasing investments in defense.
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