The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOCU) had previously threatened to boycott the Games if Russia and Belarus were to feature.

The Sports Ministry, led by NOCU President Vadym Gutzeit, had announced in April that athletes from Ukraine would not be allowed to compete in events where competitors from Belarus and Belarus were taking part.

This has now been eased to ensure that Ukrainian athletes are not disadvantaged at Paris 2024 qualifying events. 

"An order of the Ministry of Youth and Sports was promulgated, according to which our athletes are allowed to participate in international competitions, even if representatives of Russia and Belarus take part in them as neutral athletes," wrote Member of the Ukrainian Parliament and Olympic gold medallist Zhan Beleniuk.

"The main condition is that representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus should not speak from their states.

"This step paves the way for our athletes to go to international competitions, obtain Olympic licenses and prepare for the Olympics in Paris!"

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that sporting federations allow Russians and Belarusians back into competitions.

This is under the conditions that they compete individually as neutrals, they do not support the war in Ukraine, and that they are not associated with the armed forces or any military organisations.

Only yesterday, Ukrainian fencer Ihor Reizlin withdrew from a bout against Russian opponent Vadim Anokhin at the World Championships in Milan.

Reizlin, an individual bronze medallist at Tokyo 2020, was due to face Anokhin in the round-of-32 stage of the men’s épée at the Milan Convention Centre but withdrew, advancing Anokhin, who is competing as a neutral, to the round-of-16.

Ukraine have also boycotted the World Judo and World Taekwondo Championships this year due to Russians being allowed to compete at the events. 

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra has said that she does not want to imagine the Games without Ukraine present. 

"We want the IOC, when it takes its decision, to be able to provide us with guarantees as to the application of this regime of strict neutrality," Oudéa-Castéra told French newspaper Le Monde.

"We are very attentive to the continuity of the dialogue with the Ukrainian delegation.

"I have regular discussions with my Ukrainian counterpart and we have offered assistance, the equivalent of €1 million (£857,000/$1.1 million), to host the Ukrainian Olympic and Paralympic delegation.

"It is this living together that sport allows, because sport is this space of rapprochement between peoples, to use the words of the President of the Republic.

"I am making sure that this dialogue continues and we do not want to imagine an Olympic and Paralympic Games without the Ukrainians.

"They are at the heart of this adventure and we want the blue and yellow flag to shine at Paris 2024."

Oudéa-Castéra had warned last week that the IOC's recommendations for the inclusion of Russia and Belarus to international sport were "a step which does not pre-judge what we will do".

She has since insisted that France is aligned with the governing body on its stance on the two countries. 

Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov claimed the Ukrainian decision was a triumph of reason.

"I have always said that sport is and should be out of politics," he told Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"Therefore, any political interference in the affairs of sports is an absolute evil.  

"Therefore, in this case, reason prevailed."