France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that they will be sending fighter jets to Ukraine to assist in training pilots and thousands of soldiers to help Kyiv repel the Russian invasion.
Prior to this, NATO allies such as Belgium, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands have committed to sending around 80 American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. They have been training Ukrainian pilots to operate these aircraft for several months.
Macron stated that France is forming a national coalition with Mirage 2000 fighter jets to support Ukraine, although the exact number of aircraft to be sent to Kyiv is still undecided.
Given that pilot training takes 5 to 6 months, Macron said, “Our goal is to deploy pilots and aircraft to Ukraine by the end of this year.”
During an interview with a French television channel, Macron said, “We will be launching a new cooperation and announcing the transfer of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets.”
He mentioned that these fighter jets “will enable Ukraine to defend its territory and airspace. Therefore, starting from tomorrow, we will initiate the pilot training program.”
The Mirage fighter jet is a multi-role combat aircraft first introduced in the 1970s. The 2000-5 version is the latest model equipped with advanced radar technology, although it has been replaced by the more advanced Rafale fighter jets in the French forces.
Macron also mentioned that France can assist in training 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers and provide them with equipment and weapons.
When asked if sending instructors to Ukraine could escalate the situation, Macron responded, “The answer is no. The West is Ukraine’s free zone, and training soldiers there is not aggressive.”
He emphasized, “This should not be taboo because it is on Ukraine’s sovereign territory.”
Recently, Ukrainian President Zelensky requested western allies to send military instructors to help Kyiv rapidly enhance their military capabilities.
Macron stated that he is negotiating with other countries to form an alliance willing to provide military instructors. He stressed that Europe is not at war with Moscow and has no intention to escalate the conflict.
However, Russian President Putin previously threatened that if Western soldiers are sent to Ukraine, Russian forces will consider them as targets. Putin deemed this as a serious escalation.
Macron recently approved Ukraine’s use of the French-English developed Scalps long-range missiles for defensive purposes to target Russian military bases launching missiles. The US and Germany have also granted similar limited permissions.