Serious Warning from France: Russian Victory in Ukraine Would Bring Chaos to the International System

(Patria) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned yesterday in Kyiv that if Russia defeats Ukraine on the battlefield, it will sow "chaos" in the international system, AFP reported.

He spoke on the same day Russian forces announced they had captured another village in eastern Ukraine and continued their steady advance.

Barrot's visit, aimed at underscoring Paris's unwavering support for Ukraine, comes at the end of a week in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled his "victory plan" to defeat Russia, again calling for increased Western support.

- A Russian victory would justify the law of the stronger and accelerate the international order towards chaos - Barrot said alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha.

Asked by a Ukrainian journalist whether Paris supports Zelensky's "victory plan," Barrot said: "We support the victory plan because we have been with Ukraine for almost 1,000 days."

During his other remarks, Barrot only used the more general term "peace plan" when speaking about the possibility of ending the conflict.

Paris, like other Western backers of Ukraine, has not issued an official position in response to Zelensky's proposals and is studying the details.

After meeting with Barrot in Kyiv, Zelensky said he was grateful to France for supporting the "victory plan" that can "bring closer real diplomacy and a just peace."

- The meeting was exactly what we needed - he said in his evening address.



"Victory Plan"

A central part of Zelensky's plan is for Ukraine to be immediately invited to join NATO.

Barrot said Paris is "open" to the idea of issuing an invitation to join NATO and is discussing it with other Alliance members.

Zelensky's plan also rejects territorial concessions and calls on allies to lift restrictions on the use of donated long-range weapons against military sites inside Russia. It also proposes deploying a "non-nuclear strategic deterrence package" on Ukrainian territory.

Since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has put forward several proposals, initiatives and principles that it says should underpin any end to the conflict.

In June, nearly 80 countries supported a ten-point "peace formula" proposed by Ukraine, which states that its territorial integrity must be respected.

Ahead of Barrot's visit, the French Foreign Ministry said Paris welcomes the goals underpinning the latest initiative, which details how Kyiv believes it can win the war.

Zelensky went on a tour of Europe last week to brief key leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, before publicly revealing some details of the plan.

US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom on Friday expressed their "determination to continue supporting Ukraine in its efforts to secure a just and lasting peace."



North Korean Troops

Sybiha warned on Saturday that the involvement of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia poses a "huge threat of further escalation." There was a risk that the war could "cross its current borders."

Seoul's spy agency said on Friday that North Korea has decided to send "large" troops to support Moscow's war in Ukraine, reporting that 1,500 special forces are already in Russia's Far East and undergoing training.

Russia on Saturday made its latest territorial advance, saying it had captured the village of Zoryane in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces are steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region, even as Kyiv continues to conduct a cross-border offensive into Russia's Kursk border region.

Russia has concentrated its offensive on Kurakhove, home to about 20,000 people before the Russian invasion, and the strategic prize of the city of Pokrovsk, some 30 kilometres to the north.

Ukraine, struggling with a shortage of manpower and ammunition, is facing a better-equipped Russian army.

French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu said separately that Paris is ordering new equipment for the Ukrainian army using 300 million euros in interest from frozen Russian assets.

The new delivery will include twelve Caesar howitzers, Lecornu told the Sunday edition of La Tribune, AFP reported.