The training will begin this summer and will take five to six months, and the handover of the planes will take place closer to the end of the year, French President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting with President Zelenskyy at the Élysée Palace. Macron did not specify the number of aircraft Ukraine will receive.
Also, France plans to establish a coalition designed to send military instructors to Ukraine soon.
“Several of our partners have already given their consent,” Macron added.
According to Welt am Sonntag, the head of the French General Staff sent a letter to about a dozen Western countries, inviting the governments of these countries to participate in a training mission in Ukraine. Letters were sent to the US, Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, all Baltic countries, Denmark, and Sweden.
Since the start of the war, France has provided €3.03B in military support to Ukraine and transferred another €2.1B to the European Peace Fund.