French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the 6th (local time) that France will support Ukraine with its domestically produced Mirage fighter jets, enabling Ukraine to attack the Russian mainland directly.
In a live interview with TF1 and France2, Macron said, “We will supply Ukraine with French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets and start a new cooperation program so that Ukraine can protect its territory and airspace.”
He explained, “We plan to train Ukrainian pilots in France this summer, which usually takes five to six months.” Once the pilot training is completed, he plans to transfer the fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year.
The Mirage 2000-5, developed by French company Dassault, is a multi-purpose fighter jet capable of performing various tasks including close combat and air-to-ground attacks. It can also carry out precision strikes from Ukraine to the Russian mainland.
Until now, France has drawn a line on supporting Mirage fighter jets, claiming it could appear as direct involvement in the war. However, it is interpreted that France has changed its stance as the U.S. and Germany recently allowed Ukraine to attack the Russian mainland using the weapons they partially supported.
However, Macron drew a line by stating, “We allow Ukraine to attack targets where missiles have been launched in Russia. Attacking civilians is prohibited.”
He also hinted at a desire to train 4,500 soldiers of the Ukrainian military to create an elite force.
Macron is scheduled to sign an additional bilateral cooperation plan after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace on the 7th.
Regarding whether France will deploy training instructors to Ukraine, Macron did not give a clear answer, but said, “There should be no taboo on this subject.”
He said, “Training in the free zones of western Ukraine is not a factor that expands the war,” and stated that the issue of deploying training instructors will be decided “collectively.” However, he questioned back, “Why should we exclude this?”
Regarding Russia’s announcement that a French citizen was arrested on suspicion of espionage in Russian territory, Macron shared, “He works for a Swiss NGO. He is not working for France.”
As the reason for not inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landing operation held on that day, he criticized Russia for “committing war crimes and trampling on international law,” and that “Russia is betraying the lessons of the landing operation.”