Ukraine to receive €195 million in weapons from France, funded by Russian assets

According to the minister, the package will include 155mm artillery shells and AASM air-to-ground bombs, which will be used by the French Mirage 2000 fighter jets already delivered to Ukraine.
France will also accelerate the delivery of AMX-10RC light tanks and VAB armored personnel carriers previously used by the French military.

France's defense industry development

In an interview, Lecornu stated that to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and its own military, France plans to increase the production of military equipment.
For instance, Dassault Aviation will ramp up the production of Rafale fighter jets from two per month in 2024 to four or five by 2026.
Additionally, the French government plans to double the production of MBDA anti-tank missiles (Akeron MP) by 2025. By 2026, the production of AASM air-to-ground bombs will also double.
To achieve these goals, the government will establish partnerships with companies like Thales and EOS, which operate in the defense and military industry.

Lecornu highlighted ammunition production and electronic warfare as key priorities for the near future.
He also emphasized the importance of developing drones, military robotics, artificial intelligence, and space technologies.

Frozen Russian assets

Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, around €260 billion of assets from the Bank of Russia have been frozen in various countries. Over two-thirds of these funds are frozen in the EU.
The G7 countries plan to provide Ukraine with $50 billion, which will later be reimbursed through the income generated from the use of frozen Russian assets.
The United States is expected to contribute $20 billion, the EU $20 billion, the UK $3 billion, Canada $3.7 billion, and Japan around $3 billion.
Ukraine is not required to repay these funds until it receives reparations from Moscow.