France unveils its strategy for providing Ukraine with fighter jets
French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu has provided a timeline for the anticipated transfer of Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The transfer of Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine may commence in the first half of 2025, according to France's defense minister, Sebastien Lecornu. He informed the daily Sud Ouest that the training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics, currently taking place at the Air Force base in Nancy, is the primary factor affecting the timeline for the transfer.
Reports from French media in March revealed that Paris had been secretly training Ukrainian military personnel as part of its plan to donate the aircraft, which are produced by Dassault Aviation. This arrangement was confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron in June, who stated that an unspecified number of relatively new Mirage 2000-5 fighters would be supplied.
"The key factor is pilot training time, and so we’re going to propose to [Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky] that pilots be trained as early as this summer – it normally takes five to six months – so that by the end of the year they’ll be able to fly these aircraft," Macron remarked.
Further media reports suggest that approximately a dozen jets could be delivered to Ukraine. The French Air Force operates nearly 100 Mirage 2000s of various types, along with an additional 40 in service with the French Navy. Lecornu noted, "The aim is to equip them with air-to-ground combat capabilities. And to strengthen their electronic warfare system."
The Mirage 2000 is compatible with the Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles supplied by the UK and France to Ukraine. Kiev has expressed interest in receiving permission to utilize these long-range missiles against targets deep within Russia. Moscow has warned that it would view such attacks as actions taken directly by NATO.
In addition to the Mirage jets, other Western countries have also provided US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, although Kiev has already lost at least one of these aircraft since deliveries began in early August. The Russian military has reported several strikes on the airfield where these Western fighters were allegedly located.
President Macron has previously encouraged leaders of the US-led military bloc not to dismiss the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine, although this suggestion faced opposition from leaders of several other nations when he first proposed it in February.
Moscow perceives the conflict in Ukraine as a US-led proxy war against Russia, framing Ukrainians as ‘cannon fodder’ in this struggle.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
Reports from French media in March revealed that Paris had been secretly training Ukrainian military personnel as part of its plan to donate the aircraft, which are produced by Dassault Aviation. This arrangement was confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron in June, who stated that an unspecified number of relatively new Mirage 2000-5 fighters would be supplied.
"The key factor is pilot training time, and so we’re going to propose to [Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky] that pilots be trained as early as this summer – it normally takes five to six months – so that by the end of the year they’ll be able to fly these aircraft," Macron remarked.
Further media reports suggest that approximately a dozen jets could be delivered to Ukraine. The French Air Force operates nearly 100 Mirage 2000s of various types, along with an additional 40 in service with the French Navy. Lecornu noted, "The aim is to equip them with air-to-ground combat capabilities. And to strengthen their electronic warfare system."
The Mirage 2000 is compatible with the Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles supplied by the UK and France to Ukraine. Kiev has expressed interest in receiving permission to utilize these long-range missiles against targets deep within Russia. Moscow has warned that it would view such attacks as actions taken directly by NATO.
In addition to the Mirage jets, other Western countries have also provided US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, although Kiev has already lost at least one of these aircraft since deliveries began in early August. The Russian military has reported several strikes on the airfield where these Western fighters were allegedly located.
President Macron has previously encouraged leaders of the US-led military bloc not to dismiss the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine, although this suggestion faced opposition from leaders of several other nations when he first proposed it in February.
Moscow perceives the conflict in Ukraine as a US-led proxy war against Russia, framing Ukrainians as ‘cannon fodder’ in this struggle.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
