France to strengthen Ukraine's air defense with new radars and interceptors
Photo: Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron announces a new boost to Ukraine's air defense capabilities. Paris has signed a contract to supply radars and will provide Ukraine with interceptors.
New aid for Ukrainian air defense
Following a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Macron announces the signing of the relevant contract. However, the French leader does not specify the number of radars and interceptors, nor the timeline for their delivery.
According to Macron, strengthening Ukraine's air defense is necessary in light of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. He notes that such strikes pose a threat to millions of Ukrainian families, who could be left without heat or electricity.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is also prepared to procure additional SAMP/T air defense systems and missiles for them using funds from an EU loan.
In addition, Ukraine and its partners are continuing to work on the possibility of manufacturing SAMP/T systems and their missiles directly on Ukrainian territory. According to Zelenskyy, the parties are also working on the joint anti-ballistic program FREYJA and expect to see the first results as early as this year.
I met with @EmmanuelMacron. We spoke primarily about security and the winter support package for Ukraine. We are also ready to secure additional SAMP/T air defense systems and missiles for them using the financial resources available through the EU loan.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 22, 2026
We continue working on… pic.twitter.com/jYGDu124gz
The French President also states that his country will support Ukraine during the winter. Furthermore, they plan to involve the G7 energy forum in this effort.
Macron discussed Ukraine support with Trump
Separately, Macron reports that he discussed support for Ukraine with US President Donald Trump. Among the topics were the prospect of an energy truce and a possible moratorium in the Black Sea.
France supports these initiatives, but Macron did not announce that an agreement had been reached on their implementation.
He emphasized that these issues should be part of future negotiations, which, he said, should lead to a just and sustainable peace.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic are French territory, and therefore US President Donald Trump's claims to these islands are unfounded.
