Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a letter of intent with France to obtain 100 Rafale fighter jets as he seeks to bolster the country’s long-term air defence capacity against Russia.
He said the letter would also open the door for Ukraine to buy SAMP-T air defence systems, radars, air-to-air missiles and aerial bombs.
“It will be the greatest air defence, one of the greatest in the world,” Zelenskyy said after signing the letter with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at Villacoublay air base, near Paris.
But Zelenskyy’s visit comes amid an increase in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, with Moscow’s defence ministry saying forces have captured five villages in the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
At least six people have been killed overnight.
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France wouldn’t give details on whether the Dassault-made jets would be transfers from existing French stocks or purchases of new jets, but two officials told Reuters they would be part of a 10-year aviation deal between the two countries.
They said the bulk of the jets would be longer-term, and part of Ukraine’s efforts to increase its fleet to 250 warplanes, which also includes jets from the US and Sweden.
Talks between the two countries have been ongoing for several weeks to see how France could provide more support for Ukraine’s air defences, after President Macron pledged to offer more Mirage fighter jets and a new batch of surface-to-air missiles.
The officials said deals for further air defence systems would also either come from existing stock or through long-term next-generation orders, including surface-to-air missiles and anti-drone systems.
Ahead of Zelenskyy’s visit, Macron’s office said the aim of the letter was to “put French excellence in the arms industry at the service of Ukraine’s defence” and “enable it to acquire the systems it needs to respond to Russian aggression”.
