On March 13, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a bilateral meeting with Emmanuel Macron. They discussed financial and military support for Ukraine, including the €90 billion EU loan, restoring the “Druzhba” pipeline transit, sanctions on Russia, and joint weapons production.
Suspilne reported this.
Details
Support for Ukraine’s EU Integration
Macron stated:
“Much has already been done, and it is impressive. Ukraine deserves to open the first block of negotiation chapters, and I have no doubt we will achieve this despite artificial obstacles. We will accompany this path.”
Support for Ukrainian Energy Sector
Macron pledged France’s continued active support for Ukraine’s energy sector and defense of critical infrastructure from Russian attacks:
“Since January, we delivered a lot of equipment. We also coordinated an effective position on this issue within the G7. On top of that, of course, we continue to provide military support.”
Sanctions Pressure on Russia
The French president emphasized ongoing sanctions efforts against Moscow:
“Much has been achieved through sanctions, and we will continue this work, preparing the 20th package of sanctions and combating all forms of circumvention and the Russian shadow fleet supporting military operations.”
EU Loan of €90 Billion
Macron promised that EU countries would do everything to fulfill their commitments to fund Ukraine:
“We will do everything possible to unblock the €90 billion loan we agreed upon.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added:
“Ahead of next week’s European leaders’ meeting in Brussels, we are coordinating our positions to unblock these funds.”
Restoration of the “Druzhba” Pipeline
Macron stressed the importance of restoring transit:
“What happened on the ‘Druzhba’ pipeline… everything must be transparent. The decision on the €90 billion loan was made in the context of war – and it hasn’t changed. I separate the two issues and strongly want to resolve both. We must keep our word: the €90 billion must be delivered under the approved conditions, and ‘Druzhba’ must be restored.”
Cooperation in Weapons Production
Zelenskyy outlined specific steps for bilateral defense projects:
“We discussed bilateral projects and the SAFE program. This is a significant potential that can strengthen both our states and Europe as a whole. Ukraine is grateful for France’s defense support over all these years. Today we identified steps and concrete decisions that can produce strong results. This concerns both air defense and combat aviation.”
Context
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on a working visit to France. He last visited Paris on January 6, 2026, to attend the Coalition of the Willing summit.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Viktor Orban intends to force Ukraine to restore oil transit through the “Druzhba” pipeline and even threatened to do so “by force.”
