France said Thursday its embassy in Ukraine would return to the capital Kyiv from the western city of Lviv, where it had been relocated in early March after the Russian invasion.
“This redeployment will happen very soon and will allow France to deepen its backing for Ukraine even further in all spheres to face the war unleashed by Russia on February 24,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made the announcement during a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.
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France, however, continues to advise its nationals against returning to Ukraine, including to Kyiv.
“We consider returning remains unthinkable for those French people who lived in Ukraine. The return of French compatriots today remains formally prohibited,” the French government noted on Tuesday, stressing that “the whole of Ukraine remains a war zone.”
France is providing support to Ukraine through military equipment, humanitarian aid and assistance for investigations into abuses allegedly committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians.
The French government has allocated 100 million euros for humanitarian support to Ukraine and neighboring countries, including Poland and Moldova, which are hosting many Ukrainian refugees.
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