Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Friday to sign a security pact with France, having earlier secured a deal with Germany which was hailed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a "historic step", anchoring support for Kyiv in its raging battle against Russia, reports FRANCE 24.
Both deals are part of Zelensky's drive to shore up help for his forces who are struggling to hold off Russian attacks on the frontline city of Avdiivka.
After touching down at Orly airport south of the French capital, Zelensky travelled on to the Elysee palace where he met with President Emmanuel Macron to sign the accord.
The French presidency said ahead of the meeting that the pact would run for ten years, and include precise commitments from the French side, including financial pledges.
It would strengthen cooperation in the area of artillery, the presidency said, without providing details.
The deal is also to help pave the way towards Ukraine's future integration into the European Union and NATO, officials said.
With the Ukraine war about to enter its third year, Zelensky was to make further pleas for sustained help with financing and armaments at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, where leaders like US Vice President Kamala Harris have gathered.
Zelensky's European tour comes at a critical time with Ukraine facing mounting pressure on the eastern front because of ammunition shortages and fresh Russian attacks.
Fierce fighting raged around the beleaguered frontline town of Avdiivka, which has become a main Russian target ahead of the February 24 invasion anniversary.
The long-term future of billions of dollars of Western aid is meanwhile in doubt, with the biggest contributor, the United States, in the throes of an election year.
A possible $60-billion package of military aid has been held up in Washington since last year because of wrangling in Congress.
The EU has also admitted that it will only be able to make good on half of the one million artillery shells it promised to send by March.
But Scholz underlined that the security pact inked in Berlin on Friday illustrates that Germany will "not let up" in supporting Ukraine. He also announced a new package of immediate military support worth 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion).
See more of this AFP report, and accompanying video, published by FRANCE 24.