Janice R. Andrews
Significantly, French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Thursday that France will provide Ukraine with Mirage 2000-5 aircraft and that pilot training will start this summer, with the first cycle of training anticipated to be finished by the end of the year. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine joined Macron in making this declaration during an interview with broadcasters TF1 and France 2, which took place in conjunction with the D-Day commemorations in Normandy.
Macron declared, “We’ll be announcing the transfer of French fighter jets, the Mirage 2000-5s, that will enable Ukraine to protect its soil and airspace, as well as launching a new cooperation program.” He made it clear that the aircraft would be transferred and that the pilot training program would start right away.
Similar to the European coalition that supplies Ukraine with F-16 aircraft, France is assembling a coalition with other countries to expedite the delivery of these jets. About 600 of these jets were constructed by Dassault Aviation, the company that makes the Mirage 2000; Greece, the United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan were among the nations that received exports of these aircraft. The upgraded radar capabilities of the Mirage 2000-5 model make it compatible with Ukraine’s existing Scalp cruise missiles and Mica air-to-air missile system.
Macron did not say how many jets would be supplied precisely, but he did say that further information would be made available on Friday when President Zelenskyy visited Paris. Macron emphasized the significance of the five- to six-month pilot training program, which enables Ukrainian pilots to begin flying by the end of the year. There will be training in France.
Macron also declared that France will offer to supply and train a brigade of 4,500 soldiers from Ukraine. Macron made it clear that this proposal, which includes the potential for training on Ukrainian land, is not an escalation but rather a necessary reaction to Ukraine’s defense demands.
Macron reiterated that Ukraine has the right to use French weapons to target Russian locations that are attacking the country, arguing that limiting this use would make it more difficult for Ukraine to defend itself. “What the Russians do sets the limit,” he continued. It’s not us who decide to switch tactics and launch an attack on Ukraine from Russian territory at this time.
Sebastien Lecornu, the minister of the French armed forces, as well as representatives from KNDS, Thales, MBDA, Dassault Aviation, and Arquus are among the defense companies President Zelenskyy is expected to meet with in Paris. According to the French Armed Forces Ministry, a letter of intent to establish a unit in Ukraine will also be signed during this meeting with KNDS.
