France published list of military aid to Ukraine
France has published a list of military aid to Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
From the first weeks of the war, France began providing multifaceted assistance to Ukraine, including transferring military equipment and gear adapted to the conditions of the hostilities conducted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to the French Ministry of Defense.
From February 24, 2022, to December 31, 2023, France supplied military equipment to Ukraine totaling 2.615 billion euros. Additionally, with the support of Paris, around 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers underwent training in France and Poland.
All military supplies to Ukraine meet three criteria: providing a full cycle (equipment with ammunition, training, and equipment servicing), assistance without weakening the French army, and control of escalation.
The list of transferred equipment includes small arms, personal protective equipment, artillery, air defense systems, armored vehicles, trucks, boats, drones, aviation fuel, and more.
In less than two years, France supplied Ukraine with 250 VAB armored vehicles in various modifications, 38 AMX10 armored vehicles, over a million rounds of ammunition for small arms, and more. It is noted that in some cases, the quantity of transferred units is classified. This applies to Crotale, Aster, and SCALP missiles.
Special attention in the aid provided was given to drones, artillery, and air defense systems. Paris transferred 160 drones and 10 systems for detecting drones to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Additionally, Ukraine received several anti-aircraft complexes:
- Crotale NG air defense system - 2 units
- Mistral air defense system - 6 units
- Samp/T air defense system - 1 unit
Thanks to France's assistance, the Ukrainian army also received four LRU rocket launchers, six self-propelled howitzers TRF1, 30 Caesar self-propelled howitzers, and 10 120mm heavy mortars.
What preceded it
On February 26, a working meeting of about 20 European leaders took place at the Elysée Palace in Paris. Participants of the conference discussed ways to counter Russia and possible ways to assist Ukraine in confronting the aggressor, in the context of the worsening situation on the front lines in recent weeks.
Following the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the EU's promise to transfer a million shells to Ukraine, which could not be fulfilled in time - by March 1, 2024, EU countries will only have accumulated 600,000 ammunition.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed regret that the EU had only supplied 30% of the promised ammunition to Kyiv by March 1, 2024.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, noted that Ukraine will receive over 1 million artillery shells from EU countries by the end of this year.
