Ukraine to get 100 French-made Rafale F4 fighter jets in ‘historic’ deal

Ukraine will receive up to 100 French Rafale F4 fighter jets as well as advanced air defense systems in a major deal to boost Kiev’s ability to protect itself from deadly Russian attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised this step and described it as “historic”, after signing the letter of intent with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at an air base near Paris.

Deliveries of the Rafale F4 aircraft are scheduled to be completed by 2035, while joint production of the interceptor drones will begin this year.

Financial details have not yet been determined, but reports say France plans to attract as well as access EU funding Frozen Russian assets – a controversial move that split the 27-member bloc.

“This is a strategic agreement that will last for 10 years, starting next year,” Zelensky said in a joint press conference with Macron on Monday.

He added that Ukraine would also receive “very powerful French radars”, eight air defense systems and other advanced weapons.

Zelensky stressed that using such advanced systems “means protecting someone’s life… and this is very important.”

In recent months, Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks against Ukraine, targeting energy and railway infrastructure and causing widespread power outages across the country.

Dozens of civilians were killed in air strikes in what Kyiv and its Western allies describe as war crimes. Three people were killed and 15 others wounded in the latest Russian missile attack overnight in the city of Balakliya in northeastern Ukraine, local officials said.

Speaking alongside Zelensky, Macron said: “We are planning Rafales, 100 Rafales – that’s huge. This is what we need to replenish the Ukrainian army.”

The French President added that he wants to help Ukraine prepare for what comes next.

These Rafale fighter jets are seen as crucial to protecting Ukraine’s skies, as the country is almost powerless to prevent long-range air strikes on its border towns and cities.

Serhiy Kozan, a Ukrainian defense analyst, told the BBC: “The Russians use 6,000 glide bombs a month.” “It will be important to have a French air-to-air system, with a range of 200 kilometres, because the Russians have their own system with a range of 230 kilometres.”

While this announcement between Kiev and Paris is significant, Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) points out that “the difference they make will depend on the time frame and the missiles that come with them.”

This is a long-term political agreement, not a detailed purchase order, so few expect this announcement to significantly change the dynamics of Russia’s grinding invasion.

Promises of Western military hardware are only as effective as the training and logistics that come with them. Whether it’s a German-made Leopard 2 tank or an American F-16 fighter jet, they all require extensive training, large support crews, and lots of spare parts.

With the Rafale jets, further complications arise around the question of who pays. It is believed that France will reduce its budgetary contributions to Kiev, as well as consider joint EU borrowing mechanisms to help pay for the deal.

But what you are hearing secretly in the corridors of power in the European Union in Brussels is that money is slowly running out.

The EU has agreed to help support Ukraine’s battered economy over the next two years, but there is less consensus on whether to release €140bn ($162bn; £123bn) of frozen Russian assets to help support Ukraine financially and militarily.

These proposals are currently illegal under international law, and some members are concerned about the prospect of having to repay Russia when the war is over.

The Ukrainian Air Force already uses French Mirage warplanes as well Like the American-made F-16. Kyiv also recently temporarily agreed to acquire Swedish Gripen fighter jets.

After France, Zelensky will travel to Spain to seek more military and other support for Ukraine.

Over the weekend, he secured a gas deal with Greece. Vital supplies of US liquefied natural gas are now expected to begin flowing into Ukraine this winter Via the Trans-Balkan Pipeline.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, and Russian forces are making slow progress along the vast front line – despite reports of heavy casualties in the fighting.