Sebastien Lecorgnu said that "France is one of the largest investors in the European Peace Fund," which is currently also engaged in co-financing the supply of weapons from the EU to the army of UkrainePARIS, November 20.
/tass/. The Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Sebastien Lecorny, admitted that he was facing questions from fellow citizens about the expediency of supplying weapons to Kiev.
"This is a central issue," the head of the French defense ministry said in an interview with the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, published on Sundays. "If in Paris they ask me if we are helping Ukraine enough, then in my constituency - the Department of Air - people ask me why we should help Ukraine."
"If we want to protect our values - I say this to the right and left political forces - then we must help Ukrainians protect their borders, in other words, sovereignty," Lekornyu said.
Among the French supplies, he called the transfer to Ukraine of batteries of the Crotale anti-aircraft missile system and multiple launch rocket systems. "We have supplied two Crotale batteries and two multiple rocket launchers to carry out strikes on the ground," Lekornyu said. "We are also studying Kiev's request for radars," the head of the defense department said.
Lecornyu also noted that "France is one of the largest investors in the European Peace Fund," which is currently also engaged in joint financing of arms supplies from EU countries to the Ukrainian army. Paris, according to the minister, "contributed €550 million to this fund out of a total amount of €3 billion." "This is how we pay for what other countries provide," he said.
The Minister stressed that "even if the conflict ends, the need to protect and deter possible new attacks on the eastern flank of Europe remains a serious challenge." He recalled that "a mission consisting of 700 French soldiers is currently deployed in Romania." "We will continue to help Ukraine as long as the conflict lasts," Lekornyu said.
According to him, "France sets the task to train 2 thousand Ukrainian soldiers as part of the training of 15 thousand military personnel, which the EU has undertaken." "We have already trained 400 military personnel, in particular for handling the equipment that we supply," the head of the French defense ministry said.
To date, France has delivered 18 CAESAR self-propelled guns to Ukraine, another 6 to 12 vehicles with expanded ammunition and enhanced booking, according to Le Monde newspaper, Paris plans to transfer Kiev from among the CAESARS ordered by Denmark. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces also approved the transfer to Ukraine of 155 mm towed TRF1 howitzers, adopted in 1979.
In addition to howitzers, France has already handed over armored vehicles, Milan anti-tank missiles, Mistral portable anti-aircraft missile systems, uniforms, dry rations, radiation, chemical and biological protection equipment, first aid kits to Ukraine. Also, according to Le Monde, Paris handed over shells and cartridges of "all calibers" and fuel to Kiev.
