PARIS: France has promised to forward dozens of more light tanks and armoured vehicles to Ukraine and also provide necessary training to its soldiers to use them effectively.
The announcement came after the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, flew into France to join President of France, Emmanuel Macron for a working dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
“In the coming weeks, France would train and equip various battalions with tens of armoured vehicles and tanks, including AMX-10RC,” the two leaders said in the joint statement on Monday after three hours of talks.
French would focus “on supporting Ukraine’s defence system capacities to defend its people against Russian strikes”. The statement warned of enhanced sanctions.
“France and Ukraine agree on the need to raise collective pressure on Russia through further sanctions to weaken Russia’s ability to continue its illicit war of aggression.”
The visit to France was part of President Zelenskyy’s whirlwind weekend tour of various key European partners to drum up military and financial support ahead of an expected main Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian armed forces.
After securing a new 3bn dollars military package from Germany, President Zelenskyy said in Berlin that Kyiv and its partners could make a Russian defeat “irreversible” as early as this year.
In the statement in Paris, Macron reaffirmed that France would continue to provide financial, political, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine for as long as needed.
A source at the French presidency said that additional, more advanced defence systems would be made available to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy tweeted as he flew into the Villacoublay airbase, France. With every visit, Ukraine’s defence and offensive capabilities are expanding.
The relations with Europe are getting stronger, and the pressure on Russia is growing.
The French AMX-10RC’s modern vehicles have high speed and manoeuvrability, allowing them to move speedily on the battlefield and change positions.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has called them the “sniper rifle on … fast wheels.”
