France Returns Embassy to Kyiv, Pledges to Strengthen Support for Ukraine...

by Lee Hyunwoo

Published 15 Apr.2022 09:26(KST)

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The French government announced that it will relocate its embassy in Ukraine, which had been moved to western Lviv following Russia's invasion, back to the capital Kyiv. This move is interpreted as a measure to strengthen support for Ukraine, especially after the Russian military largely withdrew from Kyiv and other northern regions.

According to foreign media including AFP on the 14th (local time), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release that "the relocation of the French embassy in Ukraine to Kyiv will take place soon," adding that "this will enable France to comprehensively strengthen its support for Ukraine, which is at war with Russia." The Ministry also said that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian conveyed this policy during a phone call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Western countries had withdrawn their diplomats or relocated their embassies from Kyiv to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, considering the safety of their diplomatic staff. Although the French embassy remained in Kyiv for some time after the outbreak of the war, the situation worsened, and the embassy was eventually moved to Lviv on the 1st of last month.

Recently, as Russian forces lifted the siege of Kyiv and nearby cities and concentrated their efforts on the eastern Donbas region and southern Black Sea coastal cities, the siege around Kyiv has been lifted, raising expectations that countries will announce the return of their embassies. The Czech government announced the day before that it would reopen its embassy in Kyiv. The Czech Republic, which had closed its embassy in Ukraine following the Russian invasion, revealed the reopening on Twitter, describing it as "a gesture showing support for Ukraine."