After a strategic meeting of country leaders in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said that in addition to training pilots, France will participate in the fighter jet coalition. France does not have any F-16s but has “its capabilities.”
As Macron clarified, this will not include France’s Mirage planes. However, the French army uses the Dassault Rafale fighter widely. Last year, the country’s Ministry of Defense ordered another 42 such aircraft.
Macron added, “We decided to give a new impetus to the anti-missile defense coalition and create a ninth coalition – for long-range strikes, and therefore medium and long-range missiles and bombs”.
France also supported the creation of a special fund for “financing joint military initiatives in support of Ukraine” and the purchase of ammunition from outside Europe.
Macron also did not rule out the possibility of sending Western ground troops to fight Russian aggression, but NATO and EU countries deny this.