Participants in the fifth annual Ukraine-France Forum in Paris discussed diplomatic pathways to ending Russia’s war, Ukraine’s accession to the EU, relations with NATO, and post-war reconstruction.
The event was organized by the New Europe Center and the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
French Minister Delegate for Europe Benjamin Haddad and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov addressed the participants remotely.
“For us, dialogue with Paris is always about seeking strategic clarity regarding our shared European future,” Chentsov said.
He recalled France’s support during its presidency of the Council of the EU in 2022, when Ukraine was granted EU candidate status. The membership talks, the official said, have now moved to substantive work.
“We have opened two negotiating clusters. We hope to open the second and third next week, and the fourth and fifth by the end of the year. At the same time, our country is already aligning its legislation with European law and deepening cooperation with the European Union in energy, transport, digitalization and defense. We are not waiting for the final point. We are already integrating and deepening our interaction. For Ukraine, amid the war, it is very important to feel the results of closer ties with the European Union already today,” Chentsov said.
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During a discussion on European integration, Vincent Guérend, Director of the European Union Department at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, noted that the EU itself must also prepare for the admission of new members. France, he said, supports Ukraine’s accession “without any ambiguity.”
“In all the negotiations, we are making every effort to advance the issue of Ukraine’s membership,” the diplomat assured.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to NATO Alyona Getmanchuk stressed that membership in the Alliance remains Ukraine’s strategic course.
“NATO has a lot to offer Ukraine and helps it defend itself. But Ukraine also has a lot to offer NATO. It is helping the Alliance prepare to defend itself in the future,” Getmanchuk said.
She also highlighted the PURL program, through which Ukraine receives U.S. weapons, including interceptor missiles for Patriot systems, and thanked France for its assistance in protecting Ukrainian airspace, in particular through SAMP/T systems and Aster 30 missiles.
Speaking about the future security architecture of Europe, Getmanchuk called for NATO to be renewed and for the role of its European members to be strengthened. “Without Ukraine, NATO will be much less effective than it would be with Ukraine,” she stressed.
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A separate discussion focused on the possibility of a diplomatic settlement to the war and the conditions for lasting peace. The forum participants also discussed changes in Ukrainian society and prospects for the country’s post-war reconstruction.
As reported by Ukrinform, Arnaud Guillois, Director of the Continental Europe Department at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, said during the France-Ukraine Forum in Paris that collective assistance should match the scale of the Ukrainians’ resistance, which Russia has failed to break.