Macron Says Received No Formal Request For More Arms From Ukraine

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2023) French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France would consider sending more weapons to Ukraine once Kiev lodged a formal request.

"We do not have such a formulated request at the moment, but every time a request is made we look into it to see if it is practical and whether we can do it and when," Macron told reporters in The Hague.

The president was responding to a question about potential deliveries of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. He said nothing was off the table but no aid from France should contribute to a further escalation.

"That means: the equipment that we supply should not touch the Russian soil but assist in protecting and bolstering resistance on the Ukrainian territory," Macron explained.

Ukraine began sounding out its Western donors on whether they will supply it with jets and long-range missiles soon after it was promised tanks last week. France has not decided whether it will give Kiev any of its Leclerc main battle tanks.