French foreign minister in Kyiv for official visit
Barrot is expected to meet counterpart Andriy Sybiga, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and newly-nominated Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
'In the wake of the unprecedented sanctions adopted by France and the European Union against Russia, the minister will take stock of France's support for Ukraine,' the French foreign ministry said in a press release.
The EU on Friday adopted a sweeping new package of sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, lowering its price cap on Russian oil exported to third countries around the world to 15 percent below market value.
Barrot arrived shortly after air raid alerts were lifted in Kyiv, at the end of another night of Russian attacks that killed at least one person in the capital.
'As Russian forces continue to carry out regular strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, threatening its security and that of the European continent, the minister will visit the Chernobyl nuclear power plant,' the French foreign ministry said.
France has contributed to help fix a radiation cover at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine allegedly hit by a Russian drone in February, in an attack that did not result in any radiation being released.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
36 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
EU-US trade deal ‘heavy blow' to European industry: Russia
Russia on Monday criticized a trade deal reached between the European Union and the United States, saying it would deal a 'heavy blow' to European industry. 'Such an approach will lead to the further de-industrialization of Europe, to the flow of investments from Europe to the United States, and of course, this will be a very heavy blow,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a youth conference near Moscow.
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Europe hopes for ‘no surprises' as US weighs troop withdrawals
After keeping Donald Trump happy with a pledge to up defense spending at NATO's summit, Europe is now bracing for a key decision from the US president on the future of American forces on the continent. Washington is currently conducting a review of its military deployments worldwide -- set to be unveiled in coming months -- and the expectation is it will lead to drawdowns in Europe. That prospect is fraying the nerves of US allies, especially as fears swirl that Russia could look to attack a NATO country within the next few years if the war in Ukraine dies down. However, the alliance is basking in Trump's newfound goodwill following its June summit in The Hague, and his officials are making encouraging noises that Europe will not be left in the lurch. 'We've agreed to no surprises and no gaps in the strategic framework of Europe,' said Matthew Whitaker, US ambassador to NATO, adding he expected the review to come out in 'late summer, early fall'. 'I have daily conversations with our allies about the process,' he said. While successive US governments have mulled scaling back in Europe to focus more on China, Trump has insisted more forcefully than his predecessors that the continent should handle its own defense. 'There's every reason to expect a withdrawal from Europe,' said Marta Mucznik from the International Crisis Group. 'The question is not whether it's going to happen, but how fast.' When Trump returned to office in January many felt he was about to blow a hole in the seven-decade-old alliance. But the vibe in NATO circles is now far more upbeat than those desperate days. 'There's a sanguine mood, a lot of guesswork, but the early signals are quite positive,' one senior European diplomat told AFP, talking as others on condition of anonymity. 'Certainly no panic or doom and gloom.' 'Inevitable' The Pentagon says there are nearly 85,000 US military personnel in Europe -- a number that has fluctuated between 75,000 and 105,000 since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 'I think it is inevitable that they pull out some of their forces,' a second European diplomat told AFP. 'But I don't expect this to be like a dramatic overhaul. I think it's going to be gradual. I think it's going to be based on consultations.' Trump's first target is likely to be the troops left over from a surge ordered by his predecessor Joe Biden after Moscow's tanks rolled into Ukraine. Officials say relocating the rump of that 20,000-strong deployment would not hurt NATO's deterrence too much -- but alarm bells would ring if Trump looked to cut too deep into personnel numbers or close key bases. The issue is not just troop numbers -- the US has capabilities such as air defenses, long-range missiles and satellite surveillance that allies would struggle to replace in the short-term. 'The kinds of defense investments by Europe that are being made coming out of The Hague summit may only be felt in real capability terms over many years,' said Ian Lesser from the German Marshall Fund think tank. 'So the question of timing really does matter.' 'Inopportune moment' Washington's desire to pull back from Europe may be tempered by Trump now taking a tougher line with Russia -- and Moscow's reluctance to bow to his demands to end the Ukraine war. 'It seems an inopportune moment to send signals of weakness and reductions in the American security presence in Europe,' Lesser said. He also pointed to Trump's struggles during his first term to pull troops out of Germany -- the potential bill for relocating them along with political resistance in Washington scuppering the plan. While European diplomats are feeling more confident than before about the troop review, they admit nothing can be certain with the mercurial US president. Other issues such as Washington's trade negotiations with the EU could rock transatlantic ties in the meantime and upend the good vibes. 'It seems positive for now,' said a third European diplomat. 'But what if we are all wrong and a force decrease will start in 2026. To be honest, there isn't much to go on at this stage.'
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Russia's overnight attack on Ukraine wounds eight, including child
A Russian overnight air attack on Kyiv wounded eight residents of an apartment building, including a three-year-old child, authorities in the Ukrainian capital said on Monday. Four of those injured in the attack, which took place soon after midnight on Monday, have been hospitalized, with one person in serious condition, the head of Kyiv's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on the Telegram messaging app. Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that all of the people were residents of a multi-story apartment building in the city's Darnytskyi district on the left bank of the Dnipro River. 'The blast wave damaged windows from the 6th to the 11th floor,' Klitschko said in a post on Telegram. The capital and most of Ukraine were under air raid alerts for several hours overnight following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks. With the threat of missile strikes on western parts of Ukraine that border Poland - a NATO member - Polish armed forces scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace. The central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi came under an attack, regional Governor Andriy Raikovych said, adding that emergency services were working on the site and information about potential damage will be released later on Monday. The full scale of the Russian attack on Ukraine was not immediately known. Reuters' witnesses heard loud blasts shaking the city of Kyiv overnight in what sounded like air defense units in operation. There was no comment from Russia on the attack. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes in the war that Russia started in February 2022. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.
