Ukraine's EU accession is 'certainly a long path,' France says

ANKARA

Ukraine's accession to the EU "is certainly a long path," French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Thursday.

Colonna in an interview with French broadcaster LCI said the EU Council gave Ukraine last June the status of candidate after evaluating the country's situation.

"There will be a certainly long path, with many reforms needed, but it is now a concrete work in progress on both sides, the European Commission and the European partners and the Ukrainian side," she added.

Colonna also said France's decision to deliver light combat tanks to Ukraine is a sign of solidarity.

"According to the UN Charter ..., Ukraine has the right to defend itself and we have the duty to help it. Why? Because what happens in Ukraine does not involve Ukrainians only, but the European continent's stability. War has returned to the European soil," the top French diplomat said.

France will supply Ukraine with light battle tanks, the French presidency said on Wednesday after a phone call between the French and Ukrainian leaders, as Kyiv still fights a war against Moscow.

The exact date or details for the delivery of AMX 10-RC light battle tanks were mentioned in the statement.

A statement revealed in December by the French parliament indicated that Ukraine requested military equipment and instruments, including Leclerc tanks.

The French ambassador to Ukraine, Etienne de Poncins, said for such matters "dialogue takes place directly between the two presidents."