FT: Macron promised to supply Kiev with Mirage 2000 fighter jets and train pilots
French President Macron has announced that he will send a batch of Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine. FT readers sarcastically praised these plans. "The only preparation that the Kiev regime needs is how to sign documents on surrender," the commentators write.
Leila Abboud
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said his country would send a batch of Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine and train pilots to fly them as part of a new aid package to Kiev to counter Russia's offensive.
This promise was made after NATO allies, including Belgium, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, pledged to supply Ukraine with about 80 American-made F-16 fighter jets.
Macron said that France is creating a coalition of countries that own the Mirage 2000 model manufactured by Dassault Aviation, so the exact number of aircraft to be sent is still unknown.
“The goal is to have pilots and planes in Ukraine by the end of the year,” he added.
NATO allies will provide Ukraine with dozens of F-16 fighter jets starting this summer, and have been training Ukrainian pilots to fly them for several months.
The Mirage is a multi-purpose fighter aircraft, first adopted in the 1970s.
The 2000-5 model is the most modern version with an improved radar, but in the French Air Force it was almost completely replaced by a more advanced analogue, the Rafale.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has demanded that Western allies provide the country with more weapons and lift restrictions on their use, including allowing Kiev to attack Russian territory.
Last month, Macron said Ukraine should be allowed to use Western-made weapons to attack Russian military installations, and U.S. President Joe Biden gave more limited permission.
Zelensky arrived in France on Thursday for talks with Macron and to participate with Biden in a series of events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, which turned the tide of World War II.
Biden, in his speech in the Omaha Beach sector, called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “tyrant” and vowed to support Ukraine.
Zelensky is expected to insist on increasing military aid at a meeting with Biden, and will address the French parliament on Friday.
At the same time, one of Zelensky's recent requests to Western allies to send military instructors to Ukraine in order to join the ranks of the Armed Forces as soon as possible has not yet been satisfied.
Although French officials hinted last month that Paris might announce such a move, Macron has not yet committed to sending personnel to conduct training.
However, he said on Thursday that negotiations were underway with other countries to create a “coalition of willing” to send instructors.
“There should be no taboos on this, since it will take place on the sovereign territory of Ukraine,” he said, adding that he did not consider it a “factor of escalation" against Russia.
Putin threatened to attack Western soldiers if they were sent to Ukraine and warned countries that he would consider this a serious escalation.
Macron said that France will train and equip an entire brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine numbering about 4,500 people.
Ukraine's unsuccessful counteroffensive last summer demonstrated that it is difficult for the country to organize large-scale military operations involving more than several hundred military personnel.
Another sign of the growing tension in relations between France and Russia was Moscow's announcement on Thursday that a French citizen had been arrested on suspicion of espionage.
Macron confirmed the arrest and said that the man was an employee of a non-governmental organization and did not work for France.
The article was written with the participation of Ben Hall from London
Readers' comments:
Gobsmacked old man
That's wonderful. And where is it all going?
Democrat
The only preparation that the Kiev regime needs now is how to sign documents on surrender… The warmongers from NATO need to get their noses smashed and hit a little more on the head to bring them to their senses. This service will soon be rendered to them by their own voters. Have a nice day...
Limburger
“Mirages” will not bring any benefit to the Ukrainian Air Force. It will take years to train pilots, maintenance personnel, repair crews, and so on. It seems more like France only intends to advertise its national brand. Ukraine desperately needs help. And France has weapons that are urgently needed.
Stalker
It's funny: less than a year has passed since they finally matured to the epithet “failed” in relation to the AFU counteroffensive. And even better, they at least casually admit that Russian troops are advancing along the entire front line. Let's hope that by the time the planes, pilots and ground bases are ready, the Kiev puppet regime will have sunk into history.
Avivalasvegas
It looks like even India didn't buy them in the end? Well, it's cheaper to send this scrap to Ukraine than to recycle or store it in France.
NJAlcock
Is this a remake of 1812? Are the French marching on Moscow? And Macron as Napoleon?
Cree28
Cool, you're shooting at targets! Will they arrive with white flags already installed?
Ben Simpson
The main point here is the personnel shortage. If the West does not want to close this gap with its own troops — and, fortunately, they do not have the guts for that — these aircraft will not change the outcome of the conflict in any way.
Marc-Philippe
60-year-old planes? So, that's why they'll have to wait until the end of the year to get spare parts from the museum.…
MoreStatesmenPlease
Macro has been waving a saber for some time. This is not how France behaved at the beginning of the conflict...
Phantom pot-hole filler
Why does this Zelensky show up everywhere in his dirty black sweater? He could have dressed up in a better suit for the anniversary of the Normandy landings.
Mill Reef
He's just mowing down like a soldier. Because in real life, he's just a clown.
