““Thank you to Emmanuel Macron for leadership and support – President of France keeps his word, and we appreciate it,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote.”, – WRITE: www.radiosvoboda.org
“The Air Fleet of Ukraine is still expanding. The first Miraage 2000 fighters from France have arrived, which will enhance our air defense. I thank Emmanuel Macron for leadership and support – French President keeps his word, and we appreciate it. This is another step towards strengthening Ukrainian security, ”he wrote on the social network.
According to him, Ukraine also continues to increase the fleet of F-16 fighters, and the Netherlands continue to fulfill their obligations to support these efforts.
On February 6, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecortni said that the first French Miraage 2000 fighter jets with Ukrainian pilots on board, which had been completed several months of training in France, arrived in Ukraine.
In June 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the beginning of preparation of pilots and mechanics for the use of Miraage 2000 aircraft, which Paris promises to provide Kiev. Then Macron refused to name the exact number of aircraft.
From the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Russia, the power of Ukraine has asked the West to provide modern F-16 fighters. In 2023, several countries, with the consent of the United States, decided to transfer such planes to Kiev. The arrival of the first F-16 fighters was known in early August 2024-they were shown during the celebrations for the Armed Forces Day.