(24 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
AGENCY POOL
Paris, France – 24 June 2024
1. French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emerge from meeting within Elysee Palace and walk toward cameras
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:
"Our support for Ukraine remains and will remain constant, and we will continue to mobilize to meet Ukraine’s immediate needs, carrying the message of unequivocal determination to stand by the Ukrainians over the long term. In Romania, Poland and the Baltic States, France also fully assumes its responsibilities and is doing its part in the effort and will continue to do so."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:
"We need to send a strong signal to Washington about Ukraine’s progress in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration and towards the Alliance, where it has its rightful place, and Ukraine’s contribution to Euro-Atlantic security. Ukraine’s contribution to Euro-Atlantic security, as we know here in particular, is existential. More broadly speaking, the sharing of the burden of security at the Atlantic level, i.e. the way in which we share the burden of our security among ourselves, will once again be one of the key issues at the summit. The vitality of the transatlantic link is embodied in the unity we display, but also in the balance between our respective capacities to invest in our defense on either side of the Atlantic."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:
"I believe that awareness of this imperative, and the urgent need to strengthen our national defense capabilities, is undeniable. More than 20 allies, including France, have announced that they will reach the 2% spending threshold this year. This is a figure whose significance must be noted. As far as France is concerned, by the end of the current programming law, we will have doubled the budget for our armed forces. Of course, we have to continue in this direction. That’s how we see our security framework, looking to the future and the long-term."
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. Macron and Stoltenberg finish statements, shake hands and walk off
STORYLINE:
President Emmanuel Macron on Monday reaffirmed France’s unequivocal support for Ukraine, after holding preparatory talks with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in Paris for an upcoming summit.
NATO allies meet in Washington, DC on July 9-11 to mark 75 years of collective defense across Europe and North America.
The anniversary comes as members weigh plans to provide more predictable longer-term military support to Ukraine.
Speaking in the Elysee courtyard, Macron said "Ukraine’s progress in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration and towards the Alliance," will be one of the key issues to be taken up at the summit.
"Our support for Ukraine remains and will remain constant, and we will continue to mobilize to meet Ukraine’s immediate needs, carrying the message of unequivocal determination to stand by the Ukrainians over the long-term," Macron added.
Macron also reiterated his view that strengthening European allies’ national defense capabilities can only enhance the EU’s overall security framework.
"The urgent need to strengthen our national defense capabilities, is undeniable," he said, adding that "More than 20 allies, including France, have announced that they will reach the 2% spending threshold this year."
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