France, Germany, Poland vow continuous support for Ukraine

By Nur Asena Erturk

France, Germany, and Poland on Monday vowed continuous support for Ukraine.

The three countries’ defense ministers, respectively Sebastien Lecornu, Boris Pistorius, and Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, gathered in Paris to discuss the global and European security and defense issues, including the war in Ukraine and the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington.

The ministers all vowed to continue supporting Ukraine.

Lecornu criticized Russia for having "nuclear blackmailing" as part of its intimidation strategy, and noted that President Vladimir Putin has been instrumentalizing the Russian nuclear dissuasion in his remarks.

The NATO summit in Washington "will be an opportunity to show how much we are united," Pistorius said.

Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that France, Germany, and Poland will carry out an exercise and forces will train together in 2025 on Polish territory.

He also called on all NATO allies to meet the 2% defense expenditure target, which is already doubled (4%) by Poland, he said.

Regarding the migration issue, the Polish minister noted that those who arrive at the Polish border are not migrants, but people who attack police, soldiers, and border officers.

"These are attacks against the Western countries," the minister said.

- Elections in France

Pistorius said that they would respect the snap election results in France, and added that from the German point of view, "nationalism has never been the solution to problems, but instead, was part of the problems."

The French far-right party National Rally had a victory in the EU elections on June 9, which caused President Emmanuel Macron to acknowledge the situation and dissolve the parliament to hold elections on June 30.

"What counts now is to choose those who will guarantee security and growth, and now it is the French who will decide who is to govern, Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed. I confess, it is a decision that will have an impact on the entire Europe."

Lecornu, for his side, emphasized that France’s security is a serious matter and could not be put aside in the context of conflicts and tensions in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Asia.