Ukraine
Condemnation of Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure

France condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s massive strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. The night of November 17, Russia launched over 120 missiles and 90 drones throughout Ukraine, primarily targeting power infrastructure. These strikes hit residential neighborhoods, mainly in Odesa and Sumy, leaving at least 11 dead, including two children.

As has been the case for nearly 1,000 days, Russia is deliberately targeting the Ukrainian civilian population and civilian infrastructure. These strikes constitute violations of international humanitarian law, for which Russia must be held accountable.

As President Macron said to President Zelensky during their November 7th conversation on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit, France will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes and as intensely as necessary to end the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

Lebanon
France sends emergency humanitarian aid shipment (November 18, 2024)

Today, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs sent a shipment of nearly 32 tons of humanitarian aid to help the Lebanese civilian population, with support from the Airbus Foundation.

This shipment consists of containers of medication donated by the Tulipe association, therapeutic foods provided by the Nutriset company, as well as educational materials belonging to the NGO Libraries Without Borders. This freight will be delivered to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, UNICEF, and international and local NGOs working in Lebanon, with assistance from the EU. France would like to thank all the partners who have contributed to this operation.

This shipment follows on the commitments made by President Macron at the International Conference in Support of Lebanon’s People and Sovereignty, which took place in Paris on October 24. Of the 100 tons of humanitarian aid that were announced on this occasion, over 60 have already been delivered to help the Lebanese civilian population. This shipment is on top of 40 tons of medication, medical equipment, and other essential goods that were delivered to Lebanese hospitals and international and local humanitarian NGOs ahead of the conference via two humanitarian freight shipment operations, including one operation conducted in cooperation with Qatar.

Faced with the consequences of the war, the participants responded to the United Nation’s call and announced $1 billion in aid, including $800 million in humanitarian aid and $200 million in support of the Lebanese security forces. France has committed to mobilizing €100 million and deploying 100 tons of humanitarian freight.