For General Jérôme Pellistrandi, this shipment of new Caesar guns to Ukraine is a non-negligible help “but it will have to be long-term”, because “the war will last, it is therefore necessary for the Ukrainians to having what is needed at the right time.”
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“We are well within this European logic of supporting Ukraine over the long term”declares Friday, October 7 on franceinfo General Jérôme Pellistrandi, editor-in-chief of the review National Defense. He was reacting to announcements made by Emmanuel Macron from Prague. Concerning the creation of a fund for Ukraine, he explains that the difficulty is above all “to stay consistent” and affirms that the Prague summit is a “hit” which shows “an awareness of a common destiny”.
franceinfo: France says it plans to deliver six additional Caesar guns to kyiv. Guns initially ordered by Denmark, does that mean that we have nothing more to deliver to Ukraine?
Jerome Pellistrandi: The choice that has been made is to preserve our military capabilities in order to maintain credible capabilities. So there is this opportunity, in liaison with Denmark, to be able to supply these new Caesar guns, which are under development. This is aid not only from France but also from Denmark. We are well within this European logic of supporting Ukraine over the long term.
From Prague, Emmanuel Macron also announced the creation of a European fund of 100 million euros for Ukraine. Is that enough to meet Volodymyr Zelensky’s demands?
At first it is a non-negligible help but it will have to be sustained over time. The difficulty for both the Europeans and for Ukraine is to be as consistent as possible and not to accumulate as much equipment as possible. We are in a long-term process. The war will last, so it is necessary for Ukrainians to have what is needed at the right time.
Is Europe also trying to exist in the face of the billions paid by the United States?
This war is a catalyst for Europe, which realizes that NATO is essential to ensure its security but that it is also necessary to reinforce its strategic autonomy, particularly in the field of defence. We saw it on the occasion of the Prague summit, we can clearly see that the European countries realize that today we must be consistent in the face of the Russian invader. We must salute the success of this conference. The project was launched barely six months ago and brought together 44 heads of state. This means that there is an awareness of a common destiny and that we cannot let Russia do its job of destroying the Ukrainian state.