“The fight of the Ukrainians is ours”, insists Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for Europe

“The Ukrainians are fighting for the integrity of Ukraine but they are also fighting for the security of the European Union and for the security of France,” recalls the Minister Delegate for Europe. “If Ukraine were to fall,” Vladimir Putin “will move the front line to the West.”

“The fight of the Ukrainians is ours”, insists Friday February 23 on franceinfo Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for Europe. On the eve of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he believes that “we must go further and deepen our support”notably because“by resisting the Russian invader, the Ukrainians are fighting for the integrity of Ukraine but they are also fighting for the security of the European Union and for the security of France”. The Minister Delegate for Europe explains that “if Ukraine were to fall”Vladimir Poutine “will move the front line to the West”.

Furthermore, he emphasizes that France is “already the target of Vladimir Putin’s deliberate desire for aggression in the cyber field, in the information field”. His counterpart at the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, called this week for the strengthening of security measures in the face of threats of “sabotage and cyber attack” Russians who target his ministry “primarily”. Jean-Noël Barrot therefore reiterates this call for vigilance. “With informational maneuvers and the dissemination of fake news, Vladimir Putin wants to weaken public support for Ukraine, by making people believe, for example, that Russia has already won the war or that the war is costing the French people more. that she doesn’t bring back to him”, he argues. The Russian President “wants to weaken democracy itself.”

Less than four months before the European elections, Jean-Noël Barrot fears “informational maneuvers” of Russia for “attempt to distort the sincerity of the vote”. The minister hopes that the European Union “erects a democratic shield to protect a vote” next June. He specifies that he has “asked this week in Brussels, at the European Commission, to obtain a firm commitment from the platforms to ensure that if a situation like this were to recur, that these platforms would ensure that they deviralize and neutralize A content” problematic.

For all these reasons, “we must remain fully mobilized”, continues the Minister Delegate for Europe. THE “support” of France is “continuous” And “in progress”welcomes Jean-Noël Barrot. “1.7 billion two years ago, 2.1 billion last year, 3 billion this year.” The minister alludes to the agreement signed last Friday by Emmanuel Macron and his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, providing “up to 3 billion euros” military aid in 2024. The President of the French Republic will organize an international meeting in support of kyiv on Monday in Paris, with several heads of state.