French Senate supports bilateral security deal with Ukraine

The French Senate on March 13 overwhelmingly supported a security deal between Paris and Kyiv after it was approved by the parliament's lower chamber a day earlier.

The agreement, signed at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Feb. 16, was the third time a bilateral security agreement based on commitments made by G7 countries had been signed after Ukraine signed agreements with the U.K. and Germany. Other states have finalized similar deals since then.

Some 293 members of the Senate voted in support of the deal. Twenty-two senators voted against it, namely lawmakers from the communist parliamentary group.

"Turning our back on Ukraine would mean turning our back on our values, betraying the trust of our allies, showing weakness," said French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal during the debate, according to France 24.