France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Monday, July 21, emphasized France's support to Ukraine during a surprise visit, over three years into Russia's invasion.
Barrot met his counterpart Andriy Sybiga, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and newly nominated Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. He arrived in Kyiv just hours after a fresh Russian barrage on the Ukrainian capital, the latest in a record number of drone and missile attacks Russia has recently fired on Ukrainian cities.
"It is by putting pressure on Russia on the one hand, and providing resolute support to Ukraine on the other, that we will succeed in ending this cowardly and disgraceful war," Barrot said. He was speaking at a press conference shortly after visiting the Chernobyl power plant, the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, which sent clouds of radiation across much of Europe in 1986.
In February, Ukraine accused Russia of using an explosive drone to damage the confinement arch protecting the structure − prompting France to pledge €10 million to help fix the cover. Accompanied by a small group of journalists, Barrot inspected the structure, where the hole in the arch was still clearly visible.
Barrot briefly got stuck in the elevator on his way out of the building with some of his team − though the group managed to operate the elevator manually, and emerged unharmed.
Back from Chernobyl, Barrot said Russia "targets energy infrastructure in defiance of international law, security and nuclear safety." He also blasted the latest wave of Russian attacks, which killed two people and damaged an entryway to the capital's Lukyanivka metro station, which he visited earlier.
"This inhumane, cynical and cruel violence has no military purpose," Barrot said. "Its sole aim is to terrorize civilians in a failed attempt to undermine Ukrainian morale."