KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 France鈥檚 new foreign minister arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Saturday to meet with his counterpart in a sign of support for Ukraine as Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion nears its second anniversary.
St茅phane S茅journ茅 noted that Ukraine was his first destination abroad since his appointment in a this week.
鈥淯kraine is and will remain France鈥檚 priority,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he defense of the fundamental principles of international law is being played out in Ukraine.鈥
S茅journ茅, in a joint news conference alongside Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, reiterated his government's pledges of support for Ukraine 鈥渁s long as necessary鈥 but did not announce new weapon deliveries.
鈥淩ussia is hoping that Ukraine and its supporters will tire before it does. We will not weaken. That is the message that I am carrying here to the Ukrainians. Our determination is intact,鈥 S茅journ茅 said.
The ministers took no questions.
France has been switching away from its initial post-invasion policy of providing complete weapons systems to Ukraine from its own stocks. It is increasingly pursuing what the government describes as a more sustainable effort to help defense manufacturers 鈥 both at home and in Ukraine 鈥 ramp up production so they can supply the embattled country's long-term armament needs.
S茅journ茅 said that a French defense fund to enable Ukraine to buy armaments also got fresh funding in recent weeks but he did not specify the amount.
France is also working to overcome to supply EU financial aid to Ukraine, needed to fund essential public services and reconstruction. S茅journ茅 said France would use 鈥渁ll of its weight鈥 to try to unblock the EU aid package at an upcoming summit in early February.
Kuleba thanked S茅journ茅 for not being deterred from visiting by 鈥渁nother massive Russian strike.鈥
He also highlighted that many Western-made components were found in Russian missiles used to attack Ukraine.
鈥淎ccording to a recent report by the Kyiv School of Economics and Yermak McFaul鈥檚 group, 44% of all electronic components in Russia鈥檚 weapons are developed by Western companies,鈥 he said, calling on the Group of Seven and the European Union to 鈥渢ake decisive measures to block the supply of goods containing these components to Russia.鈥
S茅journ茅 鈥檚 visit came a day after British Prime Minister for Ukraine, announcing a security pact with Kyiv and 2.5 billion pounds (about $3.2 billion) for its war effort over the next fiscal year.
Also on Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force said its defense system downed eight of the 37 missiles fired by Russia. Three drones were also launched. The air force said via its Telegram channel that more than 20 of the total attacks were prevented from reaching their target 鈥渂y means of electronic warfare.鈥
Both Ukraine and Russia make use of electronic warfare technology aimed at jamming and diverting enemy drones and guided missiles.
Also, in Ukraine鈥檚 northeastern Sumy region, a resident was wounded as a result of a morning rocket attack, the regional prosecutor鈥檚 office said.
In Russia, a local resident received shrapnel wounds when Ukrainian forces attacked a village in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.
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Associated Press writer John Leicester in Paris and Elise Morton in London contributed.
