French President Emmanuel Macron said that France will “intensify” its military and humanitarian support to Ukraine following a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.
The French presidency said that aid to Ukraine amounted to “more than 615 tonnes of equipment, including medical equipment, generators for hospitals, food aid, shelter aid and emergency vehicles”.
Zelensky thanked France for sending “large-scale military shipments that contribute to the Ukrainian resistance”.
Newly re-elected Macron reiterated his “strong concern” over Russia’s bombing of Ukrainian cities and the “unbearable situation” in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
Macron said he wanted to “work actively during his second term to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, always maintaining close coordination with its European partners and allies”.
02:10pm: Mariupol mayor makes emotional plea calling on international community to help evacuate city
In Mariupol, the besieged Ukrainian port city still under bombardment by Russia, local officials warn of a dire situation inside the Azovstal steel plant. The city’s mayor held an emotional press conference calling on the international community to help evacuate Mariupol, saying that there were 600 wounded people within the plant, military and civilians combined. FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv.
Source: National News Agency