At the Air Force base in the French city of Vélizy–Villacoublay, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of France Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration of intent on cooperation in the field of Ukraine’s acquisition of defense equipment.
This document will enable Ukraine to purchase military equipment from France’s defense industrial and technological base to modernize the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
First and foremost, this concerns 100 Rafale F4 aircraft by 2035 for Ukraine’s combat aviation, SAMP/T air defense systems, radars for air defense systems, air-to-air missiles, and aerial bombs. The document also provides for the possibility of technology transfer and joint aircraft production with localization in Ukraine.
“I am very grateful to France from the very first visit. I thank Emmanuel Macron and the entire French people. But this moment is something special and truly historic for both nations. New aircraft, new reinforcements, new steps to strengthen our army and our country,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.
In addition, Ukraine and France will jointly produce interceptor drones and work on the development of critical technologies and components that can be integrated into Ukrainian UAVs. Joint projects between the Ukrainian and French defense industries will begin already this year.
“This is a short-term, medium-term, and long-term perspective. And all of this is necessary. And even if peace were signed tomorrow, it would still be necessary, because the guarantee of that peace is the presence of a strong Ukrainian army capable of resisting. These capabilities will ensure that,” emphasized Emmanuel Macron.
Before signing the declaration, the leaders met with the heads of French defense companies. Each of them provided detailed explanations of the technical characteristics, operational specifics, advantages of particular weapons systems, their capabilities, and production timelines.
