Etienne de Poncins, French Ambassador to Ukraine, assured Tuesday September 13 on franceinfo that “a Ukrainian victory is possible“after two hundred days of conflict. At the beginning of September, Ukrainian troops launched a counter-offensive in the south and east of the country. They took back more than 6,000 square kilometers from the Russians.
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“The fact that the Ukrainians have gone from a defensive attitude to an offensive attitude marks, in military matters, a turning point“, believes the ambassador. But “it’s not a stampede, it’s an orderly retreat” from Putin’s army, he tempers.
franceinfo: Were you surprised by the progress of the Ukrainian army?
Etienne de Poncins: No, because we already had two great defensive successes from the Ukrainians since the start of this war. First, when the Russians tried to take kyiv at the very beginning, and then later in the summer when they sought to advance into the Donbass with artillery attacks. The Ukrainians, to everyone’s surprise, succeeded in blocking the Russians. This offensive, it comes in addition. And indeed, the results are remarkable.
How to explain this surge? Is it thanks to men, strategy, weapons?
A bit of all that. First, the courage of the Ukrainians, their determination. It is also the arrival of Western weapons, in particular the famous French Caesar guns.
“It is also a failure, most likely of Russian intelligence, which did not see where the main Ukrainian offensive was going to be.”
Etienne de Poncins, French Ambassador to Ukraineon franceinfo
So there is a bit of a mix of everything.
Will France continue to deliver arms to Ukraine?
Yes, absolutely. There is a constant dialogue with the Ukrainians. The two Ministers of Defense call each other very regularly, our presidents too. There is a continuous flow that will continue as long as the war lasts. The President of the Republic was very clear on this subject. Since February 24, we have been firmly at the side of the Ukrainians who are defending their territorial integrity, who are defending their country against Russian aggression. We will continue, this embassy in particular, to be firmly alongside these Ukrainians who are fighting admirably.
The advance of the Ukrainian forces is explained by “the courage of the Ukrainians, the arrival of Western weapons, a failure of Russian intelligence”, according to the French ambassador to Ukraine, Étienne de Poncins, according to whom “a victory is possible “. pic.twitter.com/Bs63wc9pTk
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) September 13, 2022
Can we speak of a turning point in this war?
The fact that the Ukrainians have gone from a defensive attitude to an offensive attitude effectively marks a turning point in military matters.
Do you imagine that Ukraine could emerge victorious from this war?
It was completely unimaginable on February 24, since most experts thought Ukraine would be swept away within days. Today, it is no longer excluded. It’s part of the possibilities: a Ukrainian victory is possible.
Russia is talking about redeploying its troops. Can we believe her?
Russians always have pretty amazing expressions when they step back, they call it “a gesture of goodwill”, etc. So a retreat is still a retreat. Afterwards, we can present it as we want. What is true is that it is not a stampede. It’s an orderly retreat. There are no massive Russian prisoners by Ukrainian troops. And so there is a fallback.
Can Vladimir Putin react with an additional deluge of fire on Ukraine?
We have already seen this the day before yesterday, since the Russian missiles hit the energy infrastructures, in particular in Kharkiv. But at the same time, it is also the Ukrainian reality, the Ukrainians managed to quickly restore the power. Today, many Russian missiles are stopped by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense.
Do you think that the two camps will accept a security zone around this nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, as demanded by the International Atomic Energy Agency?
We support all efforts of the Atomic Energy Agency. Our President of the Republic is very mobilized on the subject. There are a lot of negotiations and discussions. We hope they will succeed.