French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky signed a significant defense accord in Paris on Monday, with a letter of intent for Kyiv to potentially acquire up to 100 French Rafale fighter jets and other military hardware.
The delivery of these advanced Rafale jets, the flagship of French combat aviation, is projected over a long-term 10-year horizon. However, the accord also includes plans to begin producing drones and interceptors for Ukraine by the end of this year. The announcement provides a crucial boost for the Ukrainian leader, who is currently facing challenges from setbacks in the war, including Russian advances near Pokrovsk, continued aerial attacks by Moscow, and a recent corruption scandal at home.
🇫🇷🇺🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇸🇷🇺
This is exactly what Russia didn’t want!
France just signed a 10-year pact to put 100 Rafales, air-defense systems, drones and missiles on Ukraine’s side.
Europe’s new security architecture is being built — in Ukraine.
🧵1/17 pic.twitter.com/gG7niXbQak
— 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐎𝐌𝐒𝐀 | 🇪🇺🇫🇷🇵🇱🇺🇦 (@tweet4Anna_NAFO) November 18, 2025
Macron acknowledged the current “difficult moment” in the conflict, stating that Russia alone chooses to intensify the war, which he called an “addiction to war.” The French leader expressed hope that “peace will be obtained before 2027,” the end of his mandate, emphasizing the need for a post-conflict “regeneration” of the Ukrainian army to dissuade future Russian incursions.
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The Rafale jet, despite having a strong combat record in several global conflicts, suffered a blow to its reputation after being shot down by Pakistan during a confrontation with India. This new accord follows Ukraine’s earlier letter of intent to acquire Swedish Gripen jets.
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