French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to finalize the creation of a coalition of military instructors for Ukraine and begin Kyiv's EU accession talks by the end of the month.
Speaking on June 7 at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Macron said several of France’s partners had already agreed to take part in the coalition of instructors.
"We will use the days to come to finalize the largest possible coalition to implement Ukraine's demand," Macron said.
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Ukraine’s top commander said last week he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to soon access Ukrainian training centers. Russia responded by saying they would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces.
Kyiv has been pushing Europe to increase military support in recent weeks after Russia began gaining ground on the battlefield, particularly in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region.
However, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a conference call on June 7 that because of a recent infusion of U.S. aid, the Ukrainians have been able to “thwart Russian advances,” particularly around Kharkiv.
“The Russians really have kind of stalled out up there, basically," Kirby said. “Their advance on Kharkiv is all but over because they ran into the first line of defenses of the Ukrainian armed forces and basically stopped, if not pulled back some units.”
In his joint news conference with Zelenskiy, Macron also addressed EU accession talks, saying France “continues to support Ukraine in all areas, including on the European level by seeking to have the effective launch of membership negotiations by the end of the month.”
He added that France also wants an "irreversible path" to NATO membership for Ukraine.
Macron also said that France is on the side of peace but said it would not come through surrender.
“We are for peace, according to international law, which allows the people who are attacked to defend themselves," he said in response to questions about possible concessions by Russia and whether it is time to start negotiations with Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier on June 7 in St. Petersburg that Russia is “ready for talks” with conditions, including taking into account the “realities of today” -- an apparent reference to Russia's illegal annexation of four regions in southeastern Ukraine and Crimea.
Putin also again claimed that Ukraine’s leaders “have lost their legitimacy,” referring to the postponement of Ukrainian elections.
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“It seems like we are dealing with the usurpation of power," Putin said, speaking to business leaders at an economic forum.
Putin has previously questioned whether Zelenskiy has the legitimacy to negotiate on Ukraine's behalf because his five-year term in office was supposed to end on May 20.
An election was to have taken place on March 31 but was postponed because the country is still under martial law. Under the Ukrainian Constitution, Zelenskiy must continue to perform his duties until a new head of state is elected.
Zelenskiy responded to Putin during the joint news conference, saying his legitimacy is recognized and determined by the Ukrainian people, adding that Putin's legitimacy “is recognized only by comrade Putin."