French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the social platform "Ex" that he will address the nation today at around 8:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. Bulgarian time), Reuters and BTA reported.
“In this moment of uncertainty, when the world is facing serious challenges, I will turn to you this evening“, Macron wrote, ahead of a summit of European Union leaders tomorrow, which will focus on defense and the situation in Ukraine.
European countries are trying to increase defense spending and provide support to Kiev in the conflict with Russian forces, amid growing doubts about Washington's commitment to defending Europe.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump temporarily suspended military aid to Ukraine, his latest move aimed at changing US foreign policy and adopting a more conciliatory approach towards Moscow, Reuters notes.
France is actively working to restore ties between the United States and Ukraine and to achieve “lasting and stable peace“. This was stated earlier today by French government spokeswoman Sophie Prima, who added: “We have proposed a ceasefire… France and Europe are trying to restore the relationship between the United States and Ukraine“, underlining the importance of diplomatic efforts.
France and Britain have proposed a partial month-long ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, covering air and naval attacks as well as strikes on energy infrastructure, but excluding ground fighting. This was announced by Macron and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot earlier this week.
The comments come amid intense diplomatic efforts in Europe to strengthen Western support for Ukraine following Friday's meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House.