France’s President Emmanuel Macron affirmed on Monday that the country was ready to train Ukrainian fighter pilots. In his statement he was apparent in saying that France had “opened the door” to them but he would not send any fighter planes to the nation fighting in the war.
His statement came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a visit to Paris, which was his second trip to the Western European country since his Ukraine’s Russian invasion.
In a televised interview with the TF1 broadcaster, Macron said, “We have opened the door to training pilots, and this with several other European countries who are also ready. I think discussions are under way with the Americans. The training can start from now.”
Talking to Agency France Press (AFP), a French official familiar with air force command, in February this year said that France could theoretically give 13 recently decommissioned French fighters of the Mirage 2000-C type, but using them would be a long process for Ukrainian fighter pilots
In a joint statement, Macron and Zelenskyy said, “In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with tens of armoured vehicles and light tanks including AMX-10RC.” Zelenskyy has been on a European tour to strengthen its ties and ensure receiving weapons and ammunitions from the Western side.
After months of deadlock, Ukraine has been preparing to recapture territory that Russia had taken, and it is ramping up military aid to help its troops become more battle-ready. Zelenskyy has been appealing for modern fighter jets like the US-designed F-16 for months, but NATO countries have so far refused to provide Kyiv with any such military aircraft.
Last week, both Germany and Britain provided military aid to Ukraine. German government declared arms aid worth $3 billion to Ukraine on last Saturday. Britain provided Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles to be used in its territory, on last Thursday.
Russia refutes Macron’s views
Russian officials on Monday condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement that called Russia as China’s subordinate and warned Western nations to get used to the bond between the two communist countries. The condemnation came after Macron’s interview to the Paris daily l’Opinion in which he stated that Russia was isolated after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The hostility seems to centre on conversations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in March in Moscow, where they declared they were forging “a new era” of relations and extending their strategic alliance.
