France, March 12 -- French lawmakers on Tuesday backed a security accord with Ukraine, after a debate that showed deep divisions over President Emmanuel Macron's policy towards Kyiv.

Following a debate, the National Assembly lower house will held a non-binding vote on the government's strategy including a bilateral security agreement signed by Macron and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky last month.

While the vote is symbolic, it gave political parties an opportunity to publicly express their positions in relation to Macron's strategy on the conflict as Russia's invasion of Ukraine stretches into its third year.

After a meeting between the president and party leaders last week, some of them said Macron's stance on Ukraine had caused ...