Ukraine Eyes Major French Jet Deal

By Staff, Agencies

Ukraine plans to buy up to 100 French-made Rafale fighter jets and other weapons over the next decade, officials said, drawing Russian condemnation over potential corruption risks.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky signed a letter of intent on the purchase during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to Paris on Monday.

Macron said plans for the delivery of the jets are “needed for the regeneration of the Ukrainian military.” Zelensky touted the plan as a “strategic agreement” and “a historic deal.”

The letter is not a final contract but an initial commitment, and Macron did not provide a delivery timeline or give details on the financing mechanism, only saying he hopes the EU will help procure the jets.

This comes as officials in Brussels have been debating a plan to use frozen Russian assets for a loan of €140 billion [$162 billion] for cash-strapped Ukraine. Moscow has condemned the asset freeze as “theft.”

The Rafale, France’s most advanced multirole jet, is estimated at more than $90 million each. According to reports, supplying 100 jets could ultimately cost around €15 billion.

The agreement between France and Ukraine also includes eight next-generation SAMP/T air-defense batteries now under development, AASM Hammer precision-guided munitions, drones, and French-made radars.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned that France and its EU partners are assuming major risks by dealing with “corrupt” Zelensky, adding that Western governments will later claim ignorance if wrongdoing is uncovered.

“Maybe they took part in the graft with Rafale fighter jets, too. What say you, people of France?” he wrote on X.

France has already transferred an undisclosed number of Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine. Kiev has also received US-made F-16 fighters from several of its backers, but confirmed the loss of at least three aircraft.

Moscow has criticized Western weapons shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they prolong the conflict without altering the outcome.