JAKARTA - French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday pledged to continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.
"We are determined to continue to help Ukraine as far as and as long as necessary. We will be there as Europeans when Ukraine needs us," Macron said at a joint press conference with Scholz in Paris.
The French leader did not rule out the possibility of sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine, but stressed that any decision must be coordinated with the Western states of France's allies.
"Regarding Leclerc, I asked the defense minister to help me, but no one was ruled out," Macron was quoted as saying by ANTARA, Monday, January 23.
Macron added that tank deliveries should not worsen the situation, it must be taken into account the time it takes to train Ukraine to be effective, and should not jeopardize France's own security.
Meanwhile, Scholz repeated Macron's statement that the two countries would continue to provide support to Ukraine, "as long as necessary."
The two countries have done a lot to support Ukraine, both financially and economically, as well as weaponry. We fear the war will last long and it is very important for Ukraine to know that we will not reduce support, "said Scholz.
In a joint statement following the meeting of the French and German ministers, the two countries condemned Russia's attacks on Ukraine.
France and Germany also pledged to "continue strong support for Ukraine in all areas we can, especially in the fields of politics, military, economy, finance, humanity, social, culture."
The French-German summit has in-depth discussed military support for Ukraine, in addition to the topic of economy, energy, security and defense.
The meeting was originally planned to be held in October but was later canceled over different views on defense and energy issues.
Macron and Scholz, along with ministers and lawmakers of the two countries, gathered in Paris to attend various celebrations and a number of gatherings during one day to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Elysee's friendly agreement.
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