Macron Says Russian Defeat In Ukraine Vital For Security

 French President Emmanuel Macron says it is key for Europe's security to defeat Russia in Ukraine, despite, urgent pleas for more weapons from Kyiv.

He disclosed this in Paris where he said that European leaders had agreed to set up a coalition to give Ukraine medium- and long-range missiles and bombs, adding that there was "no consensus" on sending Western troops to Ukraine but "nothing should be excluded".

Russian troops made recent gains in Ukraine which faces big arms shortages, and Kyiv is critically dependent on modern armoury supplies from its Western allies, particularly the US, to be able to continue fighting Russian a much bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition.

But the approval of a much needed $95 billion dollars  US aid package- including $61bn for Ukraine - faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives, while, Ukraine's defence minister said, half of all Western aid for Kyiv had been delayed, costing lives and territory.

A full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin is now in its third year, with no signs that the biggest war in Europe since World War Two could end soon.

Monday's crisis meeting in support of Ukraine was attended by heads of European states, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and top government officials like UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and delegations from the US and Canada were also present.