Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke today by telephone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mr Dmytro Kuleba.
The Minister informed his Ukrainian counterpart of the French authorities' decision to move the Embassy of France in Ukraine back to Kyiv from Lviv, where it has been located since the beginning of March. This move will happen shortly and will enable France to broaden its support to Ukraine in all areas to address the war engaged by Russia on 24 February. The Minister welcomed the fact that France's representation to Ukraine, which has remained in Ukrainian territory since the start of the war, can move back to the Ukrainian capital.
Against this backdrop, the Minister talked about France's support to Ukraine in the Ukrainian authorities' investigations, in liaison with international courts, to document and collect evidence about the violent acts committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. The Minister also underlined the continuation of our humanitarian efforts on the ground, including in the areas of food security, civil security and crisis management. Lastly, the two Ministers talked about the support provided by France, in liaison with its allies and partners, in the area of defence equipment, following on from the discussions held the previous day by our two Defence Ministers.