No 'red lines' in Ukraine support, French foreign minister tells BBC

There are nary "red lines" erstwhile it comes to enactment for Ukraine, the French Foreign Minister has told the BBC.

Jean-Noël Barrot said that Ukraine could occurrence French long-range missiles into Russia "in the logics of aforesaid defence", but would not corroborate if French weapons had already been used.

"The rule has been set... our messages to President Zelensky person been good received," helium said successful an exclusive interrogation for Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

French President Macron indicated France's willingness to let its missiles to beryllium fired into Russia earlier this year. But Barrot’s comments are significant, coming days aft US and UK long-range missiles were utilized successful that mode for the archetypal time.

Barrot, who held talks with Foreign Secretary David Lammy successful London connected Friday, said Western allies should not enactment immoderate limits connected enactment for Ukraine against Russia, and "not acceptable and explicit reddish lines".

Asked if this could adjacent mean French troops successful combat helium said: "We bash not discard immoderate option."

"We volition enactment Ukraine arsenic intensely and arsenic agelong arsenic necessary. Why? Because it is our information that is astatine stake. Each clip the Russian service progresses by 1 quadrate kilometre, the menace gets 1 quadrate kilometre person to Europe," helium said.

Barrot hinted astatine inviting Ukraine to articulation Nato, arsenic President Zelensky has requested. "We are unfastened to extending an invitation, and truthful successful our discussions with friends and allies, and friends and allies of Ukraine, we are moving to get them to person to our positions," Barrot said.

And helium suggested that Western countries volition person to summation the magnitude they walk connected defence, remarking: "Of people we volition person to walk much if we privation to bash more, and I deliberation that we person to look these caller challenges."

Barrot’s comments travel aft a week of important escalation successful Ukraine - with UK and US long-range missiles being fired successful Russia for the archetypal time, Russia firing an intercontinental ballistic missile, and Vladimir Putin suggesting the anticipation of planetary war.

One UK authorities root describes the infinitesimal arsenic "crunch point" up of the winter, and up of Donald Trump's instrumentality to the White House.

But however should Ukraine’s allies respond to Putin’s threats and Ukraine's progressively perilous position? I’ve been speaking to sources wrong and extracurricular of the UK authorities to recognize what the adjacent steps mightiness be.

Top of the database is to support the wealth and subject enactment flowing. "I'd crook up with a trebling of European wealth for Ukraine and I’d spell aft Russian assets," 1 root said. "We request to enactment retired what is the warfare thorax that Ukraine needs to find to combat done 2025 and into 2026 - it's hard to inquire the US payer to ft the bill."

It's not astonishing there's a beardown feeling successful the defence satellite that expanding defence budgets is portion of the answer. The caput of the military, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, who visited President Zelensky this week, told america a fortnight agone that spending had to spell up.

But with wealth tight, and the authorities reluctant adjacent to acceptable a day connected hitting its people of spending 2.5% of GDP connected defence, determination is small accidental of abrupt injections of other billions.

Government sources emphasise semipermanent commitments the UK has already made, peculiarly supporting Ukraine with drones.

Intelligence we tin uncover this play shows Ukraine utilized drones successful mid and precocious September to deed 4 Russian ammunition depots, hundreds of miles from Ukraine. The attacks are understood to person successfully destroyed the biggest magnitude of Russian and North Korean supplied ammunition during the struggle truthful far. It hasn't been confirmed whether these drones were provided by the UK oregon others.

They besides highlighted a pact signed betwixt the UK and Ukraine successful July to assistance the state limb itself successful the agelong term.

What astir responding to Putin's progressively threatening rhetoric? The connection from aggregate sources is: don't panic.

One said: "The full mode done helium has made threats - we person to not fto it deter us". What’s antithetic now, according to 1 erstwhile minister, is that Putin's comments are designed to drawback the receptor of the president-elect. "Russia wants to assistance Trump with reasons to power disconnected the help". If it sounds similar the struggle is becoming intolerably dangerous, possibly the adjacent President volition beryllium much anxious to bring it to an end.

When it comes to the adjacent President, determination is tense intermission portion Trump's program remains unclear. The anticipation is to enactment Ukraine successful the champion imaginable presumption for immoderate negotiation, respective sources said, and an insider advising the authorities told maine that mightiness impact bigging up Trump’s ain dialog ability. "To get [Trump] into framework of caput wherever it is 1 that is bully for Ukraine - truthful helium looks similar the feline who stopped the warfare not the feline that mislaid Ukraine."

In backstage determination are besides suggestions of getting Ukraine to see what mightiness beryllium an acceptable mode retired of the conflict. In public, ministers volition ever accidental Russia should not beryllium rewarded for an amerciable penetration and that it is for Ukraine, and Ukraine unsocial to determine if and erstwhile to negociate and whether to connection immoderate compromise whatsoever.

But a root acknowledges that successful authorities there's an consciousness that "every dialog has to impact commercialized offs."

"We person to deliberation astir what could beryllium the quid pro quo for Ukraine," a erstwhile curate says. "If [Zelensky] were to concede, what does helium get? Does helium get NATO rank to warrant information successful the agelong term?"

There is besides is simply a realisation that the menace from Russia is present to enactment - whether successful Ukraine oregon attempted sabotage successful our streets. "They are virtually allied with the North Koreans warring now, and the Iranians are supplying them," a authorities root said. "We can’t spot them arsenic thing different than a menace now."

Perhaps the world is simply a much imperishable menace connected the eastbound fringes of Europe. Perhaps Russia’s aggression and unsafe alliances are a instrumentality to the norm aft a little affirmative spell during the 90s. "Get utilized to it," 1 root said, "it’s however we’ve lived for ever."