France has intensified intelligence-sharing with Ukraine after the United States suspended its assistance, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on Thursday. His confirmation was made a day after Washington acted, a move that is considered part of the pressure campaign aimed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The suspension is in line with the U.S. pressure on Zelenskiy to sit down for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has been fighting Ukraine since its February 2022 invasion.
France’s Ongoing Support
“We have intelligence capacities that we mobilize to support the Ukrainians,” Lecornu said in an interview on France Inter radio. He admitted that US intelligence-sharing had been suspended since the day before, further stating, “I believe for our British allies who are in an intelligence world with the United States, it is more complex.”
On nuclear security, Lecornu highlighted that France’s independent nuclear force, which was built up during the Cold War, is still strong. French President Emmanuel Macron recently made proposals about the possibility of expanding France’s nuclear protection to its European partners in view of mounting security dangers from Russia.
Macron’s comments preceded a critical European summit, where leaders will be discussing the war in Ukraine and wider defense plans for the continent.