On Friday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the French parliament. His statement comes a day after international leaders commemorated the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in international War II, and French President Emmanuel Macron stated that his country will give Ukraine with an undefined number of Mirage-2000 fighter jets.
Macron also announced that France would train Ukrainian pilots as part of increased military cooperation with Kyiv. Watch Zelensky’s speech and follow our live coverage of his visit to the Paris region.
Reporting from Kyiv, FRANCE 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg said all eyes will be on France’s fighter jet announcement and the number of planes it plans to send to Ukraine.
“Early reports suggested only five of them, but there is now widespread suspicion on the Ukrainian internet that France is prepared to send all 27 of its Mirages to Ukraine. “That’s clearly a large and significant number,” he stated.
According to Cragg, Ukrainian soldiers he has spoken with in recent months have stated that “even a small number would make quite a difference” on the ground.
He added that if France announces intentions to send instructors to Ukraine to train pilots, “it is definitely, symbolically, a very, very important step in terms of a Western ally of Ukraine’s recognition [and] of its involvement in the war”.