Ogona Anita
Ukraine is set to purchase up to 100 Rafale warplanes, drones, air defence systems and other key equipment from France over the next 10 years.
The move is part of efforts to strengthen the country’s long-term security amid Russia’s continued attacks.
The Elysee Palace confirmed the development on Monday when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Emmanuel Macron, his French counterpart, in Paris.
Zelenskyy, who signed the document alongside Macron, called it “a historic deal” at a joint news conference while the French leader praised it as “a new step forward” in the France-Ukraine relationship.
The Rafale is France’s most advanced fighter jet, a high-tech, delta-winged, multi-role warplane known for its maneuverability and efficiency.
It has been deployed in the country’s foreign military operations including in the Middle East and Africa, and comes at a cost estimated at over $100 million per aircraft.
“It will be the greatest air defence, one of the greatest in the world,” Zelensky said.
Last month, TheCable reported that Russia had upgraded its weapons to tip the battlefield balance in Ukraine.
Intelligence officials said the upgrades were designed to overwhelm Ukraine’s existing defence architecture, which has relied heavily on Western-supplied systems in the nearly four-year war.
Ivan Kholostenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Nigeria, told TheCable the development was a breach of the war’s rules.
The Russian embassy did not deny the development but maintained that the conflict in Ukraine necessitated a shift in combat tactics.
There have been talks for several weeks to see how France could provide more military support for Ukraine’s air defences, though there have been questions about how much Macron’s government will be able to do as it grapples with political and budgetary instability.
France, along with the UK, has pushed for the creation of a coalition of about 30 countries willing to send troops and assets to Ukraine or along its western borders once a peace deal with Russia is agreed.
In the meantime, Kholostenko noted that Ukraine is actively building its own defence industry, realising that self-reliance is essential for long-term protection.
