During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to Paris on Monday, the Elysee Palace confirmed that Ukraine will buy “up to 100” French-made Rafale fighter jets, anti-aircraft defenses and drones from France.
“We will have one of the largest and best air defense systems in the world,” Ukraine’s president told reporters after signing a memorandum of understanding with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Villacoublay air base southwest of Paris on Monday morning.
President Zelenskiy told reporters at a press conference that the deal, which he called a “historic agreement”, includes eight air defense systems and six launchers.
President Macron said some of the drones, interceptor drones and guided bombs would be delivered “in a very short time” and production was promised over the next three years. The Elysée Palace said the purchases covered by the letter of intent would span the next 10 years.
President Macron said Ukraine will receive a “new generation” SAMP/T missile interception system in 2026, roughly comparable to the U.S.-made Patriot system.
In response to a question about financing the deal, President Zelenskiy said Ukraine was considering the possibility of joint production of French jets.
President Zelenskiy’s visit to Paris will be his ninth since Russia’s invasion in 2022, with France at the center of Western support for Ukraine, especially given the unpredictability of U.S. arms supplies.
In a strong display of military cooperation between France and Ukraine, the two leaders signed the agreement in front of Rafale fighter jets carrying AASM guided bombs and next to SCALP cruise missiles that Paris has already delivered to Kiev.
The two leaders were flanked by the SAMP/T anti-missile system and GF300 radar system, which France also sent to Ukraine.
According to the French military, the Rafale is a versatile fourth-generation fighter jet whose role is similar to that of the American F-16, capable of long-range bombing and air combat in the same mission.
France had previously provided Kiev with Mirage jets, which form the backbone of the French aviation bomber force.
France has had widespread success exporting the Rafale, including to India.
According to French sources, India lost one Rafale fighter jet in May in battle with Pakistani forces in what is being described as the largest air battle of modern times. However, the performance of French fighters in the Indian Air Force has been widely praised by expert reviews in the Indian press.
Dassault, the French airline that developed the Rafale, aims to increase production of the fighter jet to four a month, and said it still had 233 jets on order as of Oct. 7.
The agreement signed on Monday is only a letter of intent and is still far from a concrete purchase, raising questions about how Ukraine will pay for the French jets when it signed a memorandum of understanding in October to buy 100 to 150 Swedish-made Grippen jets.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested in a letter to European Union member states on Monday that Ukraine has three options, independent or combined, to meet its financial needs. She said these were grants from EU allies, loans funded by EU borrowings or loans linked to cash balances of frozen Russian assets, according to Reuters.
The Elysee Palace also said that European funds could be used for the purchase, as well as financing from frozen Russian assets.
