Source: Macron to supply Ukraine with Mirage 2000-5 warplanes and train pilots and troops in France
France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday.
“Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000-5” fighter jets to Ukraine made by French manufacturer Dassault and train their Ukrainian pilots in France, Macron told French TV.
Macron said he would offer Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when the two meet for talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday that the pilots be trained from this summer.
“You need normally between five-six months. So by the end of the year there will be pilots. The pilots will be trained in France,” he said.
He did not specify how many of the fighter jets would be delivered. Contacted by AFP, the defence ministry did not elaborate.
Macron said Ukraine was facing a “huge challenge” training soldiers as it sought to mobilise tens of thousands more troops to go to the front.
He said France would equip and train an entire brigade of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers so they can defend themselves when they return to Ukraine from training.
Kyiv has been pushing Europe to increase its military support, with Russia in recent months gaining the upper hand on the battlefield.
Zelensky’s visit to France, where on Thursday he attended ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and crossed paths with US President Joe Biden, is seen as a crucial time to drum up more help.
Macron said Ukraine has asked its Western allies to send military instructors to train its forces on its soil to meet the growing challenge to build up troop numbers.
法国总统马克龙周四宣布，法国将向乌克兰援助幻影2000战机，并培训乌克兰飞行员，作为与基辅抗击俄罗斯入侵的新军事合作一部分。 马克龙对法国电视台表示，“明天我们将启动新的合作，并宣布将法国制造商达索制造的幻影 2000-5”战机提供给乌克兰，并在法国培训乌克兰飞行员。 马克龙表示，周五两人在巴黎爱丽舍宫举行会谈时，他将向乌克兰总统泽连斯基提出，从今年夏天开始对飞行员进行培训。 他说，“通常需要五到六个月。所以到今年年底就会有飞行员。飞行员将在法国接受培训。”他没有具体说明将援助多少架战机。法新社联系了国防部，但没有详细说明。 马克龙表示，乌克兰在训练士兵方面面临着“巨大挑战”，因为乌克兰试图动员数万名士兵前往前线。 他表示，法国将为整个旅的 4500 名乌克兰士兵提供装备和训练，使他们在训练返回乌克兰后能够保家卫国。 基辅一直在推动欧洲增加军事支持，俄罗斯近几个月在战场上占据上风。 泽伦斯基周四访问法国，参加了诺曼底登陆 80 周年纪念仪式，并与美国总统乔·拜登接触，这被视为争取更多帮助的关键时刻。 马克龙表示，乌克兰已要求西方盟友派遣军事教官在其领土上训练部队，以应对日益严峻的补员挑战。
