---
title: "\"The French ask us to do more\": France predicts Ukraine support will remain after Macron's departure"
description: "France's Minister Delegate for European Affairs Addad predicts that French society's support for Ukraine will remain after Macron's departure. Paris confirmed the supply of air defense systems and discussed an energy ceasefire with Trump."
date: 2026-09-23T05:32:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/france-predicts-ukraine-support-to-remain-after-macron
tags: [france, ukraine, macron, european-support, air-defense, trump, energy-ceasefire]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "The French ask us to do more": France predicts Ukraine support will remain after Macron's departure

![Statement on France's continued support for Ukraine after Macron's departure: man speaking in front of a French flag](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/23/franciya-soprognozirovala-sohranenie-podderzhki-ukrainy-posle-makrona/franciya-soprognozirovala-sohranenie-podderzhki-ukrainy-posle-makrona-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- France's Minister Delegate Benjamin Addad stated that support for Ukraine by French society does not depend on the president's person and will remain after Macron's departure
- Addad pointed to sustained polls, the French active interest in Ukraine over 4.5 years, and broad municipal partnership between French regions and Ukraine
- Macron confirmed a contract to supply Ukraine with radars and interceptor missiles for air defense
- Macron and Trump discussed the possibility of an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia

France's Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Benjamin Addad, told RBC-Ukraine in an interview that the majority of French people support Ukraine and that this support is not tied to the person of the incumbent President Emmanuel Macron. In his words, public opinion polls have confirmed, right from the start of the conflict, a sustained interest of French society in Ukraine's fate, which means that Paris's friendship and solidarity with Kyiv will endure even after a change of power at the Élysée Palace.

### Public opinion: not a political choice, but a societal consensus

Addad emphasized that over the past four and a half years, the French have been actively following what is happening in Ukraine: they watch TV programs, read publications, express their support and, as he admitted "frankly," sometimes ask the government to "do more." In his assessment, this is not a temporary mobilization but a stable position that all available sociological polls record. The Minister Delegate drew attention to the fact that support for Ukraine in society does not depend on party affiliation: it is backed by voters of both left-wing and right-wing forces.

### Municipal partnership as a "living" foundation

Addad placed a separate emphasis on the level of local ties. He pointed to "a number of partnership examples" between Ukrainian authorities and French local bodies — municipalities and regions representing various political parties. According to the Minister Delegate, it is precisely this "bottom-up" architecture of connections that makes the support structural and resilient to changes in the federal government. "This really struck me," he noted, referring to the depth and breadth of bilateral contacts at the subnational level.

### European context: France is not alone

Addad broadened the frame of his observations beyond France, stating that a similar situation persists "in the overwhelming majority of European countries." He expressed confidence that friendship with Ukraine and support for Kyiv will continue at the continental level, even if the political landscape changes in individual states. Thus, the French official effectively recorded a consensus that, in his view, takes the Ukrainian question beyond the domestic political cycles of individual EU countries.

### Military support: radars, interceptors and air defense

Addad's remarks came against the backdrop of concrete steps taken by Paris in the military sphere. Earlier, as RBC-Ukraine reported, President Macron officially confirmed that France had signed a contract to supply Ukraine with radars and would transfer interceptor missiles to further strengthen the air defense system. These decisions continued a course that Paris has been building since the start of the full-scale invasion and which, in the Minister Delegate's assessment, will not be halted by a change of head of state.

### Talks with Trump: an energy ceasefire in focus

Beyond the military component, the center of Paris's diplomatic activity has been Macron's talks with US President Donald Trump. According to RFI data from September 22, 2026, the leaders discussed, among other things, the possibility of a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure — so-called "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Macron also confirmed at these talks France's readiness to step up support for Kyiv. The totality of these signals, in Addad's logic, forms a multi-level system of commitments — from public opinion to specific arms contracts — which, he is convinced, will ensure the continuity of the course.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Macron's departure: what is predicted for aid to Ukraine after he leaves](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/makrona-zrobili-prognoz-shchodo-dopomogi-1790141285.html) - Первичный источник: интервью Бенджамена Аддада РБК-Украине. Все прямые цитаты и тезисы из статьи взяты из данного материала.
- [Moratorium on strikes on energy facilities and support for Ukraine: Macron spoke about talks with Trump ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5/20260922-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8B-%D0%BF%D0%BE-%D1%8D%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B5-%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B6%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8B-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD-%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D0%BE-%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%85-%D1%81-%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%B8-%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC-%D0%B2-%D0%BD%D1%8C%D1%8E-%D0%B9%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B5) - Подтверждает контекст переговоров Макрона и Трампа 22.09.2026 по энергетическому перемирию и военной поддержке Украины. Использован для актуализации дипломатического контекста.
- [Military support for Ukraine: is France capable of more?](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F/20221206-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B6%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8B-%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B5) - Подтверждает контекст переговоров Макрона и Трампа 22.09.2026 по энергетическому перемирию и военной поддержке Украины. Использован для актуализации дипломатического контекста.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who is Benjamin Addad and in what capacity did he give the interview?
**A:** Benjamin Addad is France's Minister Delegate for European Affairs. He voiced a forecast about the continued support for Ukraine in an interview with the Ukrainian publication RBC-Ukraine.

### Q: What exactly will France supply to Ukraine as part of strengthening air defense?
**A:** According to RBC-Ukraine, Macron confirmed that France signed a contract to supply radars and will transfer interceptor missiles to Ukraine for its air defense system.

### Q: What did Macron and Trump discuss in the context of an energy ceasefire?
**A:** According to an RFI publication dated September 22, 2026, Macron and Trump discussed the possibility of a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure — a so-called energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

### Q: Why does Addad believe that support for Ukraine does not depend on Macron?
**A:** Addad argues this with three factors: sustained public opinion poll results, broad municipal partnership between French regions and Ukraine, and a similar situation in most other European countries.