Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in France and met with Emmanuel Macron. Right on the runway of the Villacoublay airbase near Paris, they signed a declaration of intent in the field of defense. The day before, Zelensky himself announced this agreement as "historic."
The main point of the agreement, which is set to last until 2035, is the supply of 100 Rafale fighters, writes Meduza. It is still unclear how and by whom these supplies will be financed. Reuters, citing sources, reports that some aircraft may be transferred directly from France's existing stockpile.
In addition to the Rafale, Zelensky announced on social media that the parties agreed on the supply of SAMP/T air defense systems, jointly produced by France and Italy, radars for them, as well as air-to-air missiles. Ukraine and France, according to Zelensky, will also begin joint production of interceptor drones this year.
After signing the agreement, Zelensky and Macron visited the headquarters of the "coalition of the willing" — an alliance created in the spring at the initiative of France and the United Kingdom, aimed at ensuring uninterrupted support for Ukraine amid the growing distance of the United States from the war and the strengthening positions of supporters of reducing support for Kyiv within the European Union.
Macron, at a press conference, called Ukraine "the first line of defense for Europe" and emphasized that assistance to the Ukrainian army from European countries ensures "security for all of us."
After Paris, Zelensky will head to Madrid. Details of his visit to Spain, which will be his second since the beginning of the large-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, have not yet been disclosed.
A month ago, Zelensky signed a declaration of intent that provides for the supply of 100 to 150 Swedish Gripen fighters to Ukraine. The deliveries are planned over several years. Zelensky hopes that the first aircraft will arrive in Ukraine as early as 2026. It is unclear who will pay for the supplies; Swedish authorities have not ruled out that this could be done using frozen Russian assets.
Reuters sources note that agreements on the supply of Rafale and Gripen were made as part of Kyiv's long-term strategy to increase its fleet of military aircraft to 250 units. Currently, it is estimated that Ukraine has only a few dozen combat-ready aircraft.
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