French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné on Tuesday condemned the recent Israeli air strike that killed seven people working for the US charity World Central Kitchen during a press conference in Paris with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The top diplomats also reiterated the need for Western support of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Issued on: 02/04/2024 - 04:54Modified: 02/04/2024 - 19:01
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Blinken added that further Western support for Ukraine is “imperative” during a joint press conference in Paris with Séjourné.
“We are working day in, day out to prevent the ongoing bolstering of Russia’s war machine,” he said, insisting that Ukrainian allies must “build a stronger industrial base” and continue providing munitions.
Speaking alongside the top US official, Séjourné said France will propose sanctions at an EU-wide level on Russian companies spreading "disinformation".
"I will propose putting forward a sanctions regime against those who support a regime of disinformation," said Séjourné.
France is among major military suppliers to Ukraine, which has faced critical shortages of arms and troops as it holds off an onslaught of Russian attacks.
The United States has been the key military backer for Ukraine but a $60 billion aid package has been held up in Congress.
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The top diplomats also spoke of the recent Israeli air strike in Gaza that killed seven aid workers from US charity World Central Kitchen.
"We've spoken directly to the Israeli government about this particular incident. We've urged a swift, a thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened," Blinken told reporters, adding that humanitarian workers have to be protected.
"They have been doing extraordinary work, day in, day out. These people are heroes. They run into the fire, not away from it. They have to be protected," he said.
Séjourné said France "strongly condemns" the killing of the aid workers. "Protecting humanitarian workers is a moral and legal imperative that everyone must adhere to," he added. "Nothing justifies such a tragedy."
Paris has also advocated for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The United States, Israel's main ally, recently let pass a UN Security Council resolution that calls for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan.
France held an international conference in February in a bid to rally financial and military support for Ukraine. The results will be reviewed by Blinken and French leaders, officials said.
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Both sides want an "intensification" of support for Ukraine, a member of Séjourné's entourage said.
The French minister was in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the Gaza war and in China on Monday to urge Beijing to press Russia over the Ukraine war.
The French foreign ministry said Séjourné and Blinken will discuss preparations for a NATO summit in Washington in July, as well as the "crises" in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.
In a symbolic visit, Blinken was to accompany France's Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu to a factory near Paris of Franco-German defence group KNDS, which makes artillery guns being used in Ukraine.
Blinken is also to go to the Paris headquarters of the UN cultural organisation, UNESCO, that the United States rejoined last year. Blinken will hold a meeting with UNESCO leader Audrey Azoulay.
The visit marks the first trip to France for Blinken, a fluent French speaker, in nearly two years.
Macron paid a state visit to Washington in December 2022.
After Paris, Blinken will head to Brussels for NATO foreign ministers' talks ahead of the alliance's 75th anniversary summit in Washington in July.
Blinken will also hold a three-way meeting in Brussels with EU leaders and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been seeking to branch out from his country's historic alliance with Russia.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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