Ukraine is at a "critical juncture" in the war with Russia and Kyiv urgently needs more active support from the West, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said while visiting France.
"It is absolutely essential that we provide the Ukrainians with what they need to defend themselves, especially when it comes to ammunition and air defence," Blinken told reporters during his visit to France.
"That's another reason why the supplemental budget request that President Biden has made to Congress needs to be implemented as soon as possible," Blinken added.
Biden reiterated his call on the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives to approve a $60bn-plus military and financial aid package for Ukraine that has been stalled in Congress since last year.
Blinken and French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited the Nexter weapons factory, which produces Caesar howitzers. Lecornu said that due to the situation in Ukraine, Nexter intends to produce 12 Caesar howitzers per month, up from six at the moment.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejourne said that France intends to seek the adoption of sanctions against Russian companies involved in disinformation at the European level.
"I will propose to establish a sanctions regime against those who support the disinformation regime," Sejourne promised at a joint press conference with Blinken in Paris.
Background. As a reminder, the French Defence Minister recently announced that the country would be transferring decommissioned weapons to Ukraine – Lecorneau clarified that it was a significant supply of equipment, as the French army is in the process of rearmament.