French President Macron does not rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine

The possibility of sending fighter jets to Ukraine has not been ruled out according to French President Emmanuel Macron.

French President Emmanuel Macron hinted on Monday, January 30, that fighter jets could be sent to Ukraine. Speaking during a press conference from The Hague in the Netherlands, the leader insisted though that any weapons supplied to Kyiv should not be used to attack Russian territory.

His speech was broadcast live on the Twitter profile of the Elysee Palace in Paris. Responding to the question of whether France is ready to supply aircraft to Ukraine, he replied: “By definition, nothing is ruled out, but subject to three criteria”.

He explained: “The first is the use of such supplies for the Ukrainian army, in particular in terms of the duration of personnel training. The second criterion is that supplies do not lead to escalation. What we supply should not affect Russian territory, but should protect Ukraine. The third criterion is that these deliveries do not weaken our defence capability”.

Macron noted that: “These three criteria were met when France, in response to a request from Ukraine, decided to supply it with AMX-10 RC wheeled tanks. This is how we will continue our work, approaching it seriously and in coordination with our partners”.

“Thus, nothing is forbidden in principle, but these three principles must be observed. We need to consider each specific case separately”, he added.

On Wednesday 25, the US authorities announced their intention to transfer 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv. In turn, the German government confirmed that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine from the stocks of the German Armed Forces and issue permits for re-export to other countries.

The defence departments of Norway and Slovakia also announced their intention to transfer tanks to Ukraine. In addition, the plans to provide Kyiv with tanks were announced by the authorities of Great Britain and Poland.

Answering a question previously about the possibility of supplying Leclerc tanks to Kyiv, Macron said that “nothing is ruled out”, as reported by tass.ru.

General Christophe Gomard, who previously headed French military intelligence, told Valeurs actuelles magazine on Monday 30 that France would not be able to supply such tanks to Kyiv because it has a limited number of these vehicles, and they have not been produced since 2008.

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