Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron signed a landmark deal for Ukraine to buy up to 100 Rafale fighter jets, signaling deepened defense ties amid the war.
For air- to- air combat, bullet interception, and longer- range strikes, the aircraft is France's topmost military spur. These capabilities are essential to guarding Ukraine's metropolises from Russia's patient bullet and drone attacks throughout the downtime.
"It will be the greatest air defense one of the greatest in the world,"
Zelenskyy told reporters after he signed the letter of intent for the purchase with Macron at the Villacoublay military airbase. The Ukrainian president has pushed his Western partners for months to bolster the country's air defense capabilities amid relentless Russian missile and drone strikes.
According to Ukrainian sources, Russia's military launched over 100 new missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least three people in the eastern Kharkiv region and striking energy installations in the southern Odessa region, cutting off electricity to thousands of homes.
The French-Ukrainian military pact was hailed as a historic event by both Paris and Kyiv, but the Kremlin did not immediately respond.
"Today marks a significant moment, truly historic for both our nations France and Ukraine,"
Zelenskyy said in a social media post, adding that the joint defense agreement,
"enables Ukraine to procure military equipment from France's defense industrial and technological base, including 100 Rafale F4 aircraft by 2035 for Ukraine's combat aviation, SAMP/T air-defense systems, air-defense radars, air-to-air missiles, and aerial bombs."
The presidents also went to Mont Valérian, which is located just west of Paris and houses the headquarters of a new multinational army for post-war Ukraine. The plan is for military officers from the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" countries to be based at the facility to oversee tactical and operational arrangements in Ukraine when the war finally stops.
The United Kingdom. and France have effectively participated in the leadership of the unofficial alliance, which presently has 34 member countries.
Zelenskyy is slated to fly to Spain on Tuesday, where he is
anticipated to conduct conversations with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and King
Felipe VI to rally redundant support for Ukraine's defenses.
What financing and payment terms might France offer Ukraine?
France is anticipated to offer Ukraine a combination of long- term backing arrangements and conceivably state- backed loans to grease the purchase of over to 100 Rafale fighter spurts, alongside other defense outfit, under the recently inked corner deal.
This approach fits within the broader environment of European fiscal support for Ukraine, where the European Investment Bank( EIB) and EU have handed billions in loans and subventions under the Ukraine Investment Framework to help with reconstruction and military modernization.
Given Ukraine’s substantial debt and reliance on Western fiscal aid, including major backing from the EU, US, and transnational fiscal institutions, the Rafale accession deal likely includes offered payments, contingent backing linked to Ukraine’s financial capacity and reconstruction progress.