Ukraine – New Russian airstrikes (May 9, 2023)

France condemns in the strongest possible terms the missile and drone strikes that again targeted Ukraine in recent days, particularly the city of Kyiv. While Vladimir Putin falsely claims that Russia is the victim of an attack by the “collective West,” it is Ukraine and its people that are continually subjected to massive missile and drone strikes.

These strikes and bombardments once again deliberately targeted civilian objectives in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. They once again underscore Russia’s desire to continue escalating its war of aggression against Ukraine. Yesterday and the day before yesterday, a Ukrainian Red Cross warehouse full of humanitarian aid was destroyed in Odesa and a mobile hospital was damaged by Russian strikes in Mykolaiv.

As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has stressed repeatedly, these unacceptable actions are war crimes and cannot go unpunished. France will continue to provide support to Ukrainian courts and to the International Criminal Court to combat impunity for such crimes. It will also continue its military and civilian support in order to bolster Ukrainian resilience for as long as necessary.

Israel/Palestinian Territories (May 9, 2023)

France expresses its deep concern over the current escalation in Gaza. We remind Israel of its obligation to protect civilians and abide by international humanitarian law. France condemns all attacks that target civilians, and specifically those that occurred in the past few hours, in which several Palestinian civilians were killed.

France calls on all the parties to exercise restraint in order to avoid any new escalation. Both Israelis and Palestinians must be able to live in peace, dignity and security. To that end, France calls on all the parties to continue their efforts to restore a political horizon in order to achieve a just and lasting peace. The commitments taken in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh must be maintained and implemented.