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At the end of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s two-day visit to France, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday (7 June) that he aims to put together a coalition in the coming days to send military instructors to the war-torn country.
“It’s much more efficient and practical for certain capacities in certain conditions to train on Ukrainian soil, it’s a legitimate request,” Macron told reporters in Paris, speaking alongside his Ukrainian counterpart.
“We’re going to use the coming days to finalise the broadest possible coalition,” he said, adding that several member states have already agreed to chip in on the plan.
While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying that France was “ready to get directly involved in the conflict”, Macron commented those were “signs of Russia’s nervousness”.
Macron on Friday also confirmed the delivery of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets and the training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics in France but did not specify the number of aircraft to be delivered.
Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the Mirage 2000-5 entered service in 1999 and is still used by the French army, notably to combat Houthi rebel drones in the Horn of Africa. Their replacement was planned for 2029.
According to Le Monde, France only has 26 of these aircraft, but Macron stressed that a ‘coalition’, ‘with other partners’ would be put in place in the coming months. Greece, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also operate this type of combat aircraft.
Financing Ukraine’s destroyed infrastructure
The French and Ukrainian leaders also signed two agreements totalling €650 million in loans and grants to rebuild Ukrainian infrastructure targeted by Russia.
The French Development Agency (AFD) will have a fund of €400 million in loans and €50 million in grants until 2027, which will be used to help local authorities in Ukraine, particularly in the energy and transport sectors.
A ‘support fund’ for critical infrastructure will also be set up, with €200 million ‘to support French companies in future tenders’ in the fields of energy, transport, water and sanitation, health and agriculture.
Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden had announced a new tranche of aid worth $225 million, including ammunition and armoured personnel carriers.
[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/ Chris Powers]
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