In Paris, Presidents Biden and Macron Announce More Military Aid to Ukraine
In an obscene travesty of history, the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-day, the landing of the Allied Forces on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, was turned into a love fest for war, revenge, and the militarization of society. It coincided with the visit of U.S. President Biden and of special guest President Zelenskyy, both of whom railed against Russia. French President Macron misused the solemn occasion to accuse the Russians, who suffered by far the greatest losses in the war to defeat nazism, of betraying the message of the landings in Normandy.
In fact, Macron was hoping to profit from the pomp and ceremony to avoid a complete defeat of his party in the European elections a few days later. What he achieved was the opposite (cf. above).
When Joe Biden met with the Ukrainian President in Paris, he promised another military aid package for Kyiv, this one worth $225 million. According to a Pentagon statement, the package includes missiles for HAWK air defense systems; Stinger anti-aircraft missiles; HIMARS rockets; 155mm Howitzers; 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds; 81mm mortar systems; M113 Armored Personnel Carriers; and various other weapons and equipment.
On the same day, Emmanuel Macron stated that a coalition of countries has agreed to send military trainers to Ukraine, suggesting that plans could come together in the coming days but not offering concrete details. The Washington Post called his comments the latest sign that France and other allies may now be willing to “put NATO country troops on Ukrainian soil, an idea which some allies, including the United States, have long considered potentially escalatory”.
Otherwise, the French leader announced the transfer of Mirage 2000-5s (no number given), to “enable Ukraine to protect its skies”. In addition, Ukrainian pilots will be trained in France, he said, and he proposed to “train and equip” 4,500 soldiers in Ukraine. He claimed that training camps in “western Ukraine, in the free zone, is not an escalation”.
Zelenskyy also addressed the French National Assembly on June 7, where he dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated offers of dialogue to end the war, stressing that the current front lines could never be recognized. He will likely defend the same line at the so-called peace conference hosted by Switzerland next weekend, which no one expects to discuss ending the war.
