French President Emmanuel Macron has said that it was crucial to give Ukraine all the means it needs to defend and protect its civilian population and its infrastructure, after he met in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy, writing on Telegram, described his conversation with Macron on Thursday as "very much to the point" and said Ukraine valued France for "helping as much as possible to find responses to Russian escalation."
Zelenskyy said France would be providing more assistance for Ukraine's aviation in the coming month and both sides were keen to speed up work on the FREYJA project for a European anti-ballistic missile defence system.
Meanwhile, Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting urged the United States to support Ukraine amid a growing rift between the two countries, insisting it was in Washington's short- and long-term interest.
"There is enormous opportunity for the US in terms of the support for Ukraine, the insight, the defence industrial relationship," Streeting said during an event hosted by the CSIS think tank in Washington DC.
"I think the US will find in the years and the decades to come that Ukraine will contribute a hell of a lot to American strength, both in terms of military power, but also its defense industrial base too," he said.
Streeting noted that while the United States is far removed geographically, "if aggression is rewarded, if borders can be redrawn by force, if the sovereignty of nations becomes negotiable, the consequences will not remain confined to Ukraine."
Fractures in US-Ukraine ties
Relations between Washington and Kiev have been increasingly tense in recent days, with President Donald Trump calling for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced after the Ukrainian leader slammed a US deal allowing more Russian diesel into global markets.
Trump also accused Zelenskyy of ignoring instructions to not strike Russian refineries, while Kiev and its European allies warned against easing pressure on Moscow.
Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Kiev would no longer abide by US President Trump's demands not to strike Russian oil refineries.
Zelensky met NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels and held a string of bilateral meetings with European leaders before he was set to join an EU summit on Friday.
"All of us in Europe want this war to end. And for that to happen, strong signals are needed — more real pressure on Russia and more defence support for Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote online.
"It is especially important now to act together to protect lives."
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also reiterated his "complete solidarity" with Zelenskyy over the weekend. Downing Street said the premier also pledged that Britain would "strengthen its sanctions on Russia."
