French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday, Oct. 15, that Ukraine must receive the military capabilities necessary to defend itself against Russian attacks, as he met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels and pledged continued support for Kyiv.
“It is crucial” that Ukraine receive “all the means necessary to protect itself,” Macron said following their talks on the sidelines of an EU leaders’ summit.
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“I also reiterated our determination to continue supporting Ukraine in the search for a robust and lasting peace,” the French president added.
The meeting came as Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, including a fresh drone strike on the western city of Lutsk during the presidents’ discussions.
Zelensky described the talks as “very substantive,” praising France for helping Ukraine respond to Russia’s escalating attacks.
“Literally during our meeting, Russia launched another vile drone strike against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in Lutsk. There are power outages in the city,” Zelensky said in a statement published by the Ukrainian Presidential Office.
The Ukrainian leader noted that Russian attacks had continued almost without interruption in recent days.
The meeting took place amid tensions between Kyiv and Washington. Zelensky arrived at the EU summit seeking stronger European backing after stating that Ukraine would no longer observe a pause in strikes on Russian oil refineries, citing Moscow’s continued bombardment of Ukrainian energy facilities.
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France promises new aviation aid
Zelensky announced that France would provide additional assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s combat aviation before the end of October.
The two leaders also agreed to accelerate work on FREYJA, a European anti-ballistic missile defense initiative aimed at developing an alternative to expensive, US-made missile interceptors.
Ukraine is developing its own interceptor missile and launcher as part of the project, with European partners expected to contribute radar systems, sensors and other critical technologies.
According to Zelensky, the partners are seeking concrete results by the end of 2026, although the system remains under development.
The initiative comes as Ukraine faces shortages of interceptors for US-made Patriot systems, leaving energy facilities, residential neighborhoods and other civilian infrastructure vulnerable to Russian missile attacks.
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