French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barot said that Paris expressed openness to the idea of an immediate invitation to Ukraine to join NATO, but added that it was necessary to continue talks on the issue between the allies, Reuters reported.
"As for the invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance, we are open to such a possibility and this is a conversation we are having with our partners," the head of French diplomacy said at a press conference in Kiev with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sibiga.
Barro added that if it turns out to be true that North Korea is sending troops to Ukraine to help Russia, it would be a serious escalation and show that Moscow is having trouble in the war.
Sibiga, for his part, agreed with this assessment and said that the deployment of a military contingent by the DPRK in support of the Russian invasion hides a "huge" danger of further aggravation of the situation.
During the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of sending its officers into the ranks of the Russian army and of training 10,000 soldiers to support Moscow's military effort.
Russia and North Korea deny participating in arms transfers between each other. The Kremlin also rejected South Korea's claims that the North may have sent troops to help Moscow against Ukraine.
Russia subjected Ukraine to a new wave of airstrikes, DPA reported.
Early this morning, the wail of air raid sirens rang out across many parts of the eastern European country as Moscow launched new attacks against it with drones, guided bombs and cruise missiles.
About 15 oblasts were affected, including Mykolaivsk in the south and Dnipropetrovsk in Central Ukraine, Ukrainian air defense reported on the Telegram app.
According to the authorities, seven people were injured in an attack with drones and guided bombs in the Sumy region, which is close to the front.
Elements of the energy infrastructure, which is often attacked by Russia, were also destroyed.
The authorities urged people to hide in bomb shelters. During the night, an air alert was also announced in the capital, Kyiv.
According to Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, a woman was injured after debris from a downed drone crashed into the window of her home. She is placed in a surgical ward.
Air defense units in Kyiv reported that all the drones that attacked the capital at night have been destroyed.
Ukraine has been fighting to repel the Russian invasion for almost 1,000 days now. The Eastern European country wants its Western allies to provide it with more funds for air defense so that it can better defend its cities from constant air attacks, DPA notes.