France will supply “tens” of armored vehicles and light tanks to kyiv

Announcements after the meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron in Paris. “In the coming weeks”Ito France “will train and equip several battalions [ukrainiens] with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks”announced the French and Ukrainian presidents after a working dinner between the two heads of state on Sunday 14 May. Paris will notably deliver AMX-10 RC, light and fast tanks. Some copies of these vehicles have already been present on the battlefield since the beginning of spring.

Regarding the Ukrainian demand for fighter jets, “the question is a bit premature”reiterated an adviser to Emmanuel Macron, recalling that it was first necessary to train pilots, a long and complex process. France is also concentrating its “Efforts on supporting the air defense capabilities of Ukraine”, according to the joint statement of the two presidents. It has already delivered Mistral short-range and Crotale medium-range anti-aircraft systems and is examining with Italy the delivery of more sophisticated ground-to-air systems, recalls the Elysée.

“In addition to its national contribution, France is actively participating in European Union and NATO measures in terms of military assistance to Ukraine and training of Ukrainian soldiers”, notes the Franco-Ukrainian text. Over the year 2023, it aims to train 2,000 Ukrainians in France and nearly 4,000 in Poland where it has deployed more than 200 soldiers for this purpose. Volodymyr Zelensky stopped over in Paris on Sunday evening, as part of a mini-European tour which also took him to Italy and Germany over the weekend.