PARIS, France: Defence minister of France has said that Paris would deliver “hundreds” of anti-aircraft missiles and armoured personnel carriers as part a new aid package to Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.
Sebastien Lecornu stated this in an interview published late Saturday in La Tribune newspaper. “To hold such as extensive front line, the Ukrainian army needs for example our VAB vehicles: it’s absolutely essential for troop mobility.”
With some of them over 40 years old, France is currently in a phase of replacing its VAB fleet with new Griffon armoured vehicles, but the defence minister said the older models were “still operational”.
“We’re talking about hundreds of them for 2024 and early 2025,” he added.
The European nation will also provide to Ukraine more Aster 30 anti-aircraft missiles for SAMP/T launchers, similar to the US-supplied Patriot air defence systems.
Lecornu further said that they were also developing remotely operated munitions in a very short timeframe, to deliver them to Ukraine starting this summer.
Paris is pushing defence companies to enhance production to meet the needs of its own army and to ensure continued support to Ukraine after more than two years into the Ukraine war.
The war-hit country has warned its stocks of munitions are running low, urging its allies, particularly Washington to end a political impasse that has frozen a new $60 billion aid package.
