French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said that Paris will provide Ukraine with missiles and hundreds of armored vehicles, which will be delivered in 2024 and early 2025.
France accelerates supplies to the Ukrainian military
According to Lecorne, France will supply Ukraine with "hundreds" of old but "still serviceable" armored vehicles and Aster missiles as part of a new aid package.
In order to maintain such a large front line, the Ukrainian army needs, for example, our front-line armored vehicles: this is absolutely key for troop mobility.
Sebastian Lecornu
Minister of the Armed Forces of France
This old equipment, which is still working, will be able to directly benefit Ukraine in significant quantities. We can talk about hundreds of them by 2024 and the beginning of 2025, — he added.
The famous VAB armored personnel carriers, which are more than 40 years old, are being replaced by the new generation Griffon armored vehicles in the French army.
Responding to Kyiv's pressing requests to strengthen its air defense capabilities, Paris will also "unlock a new batch of Aster 30 missiles" for the SAMP/T MAMBA system, which is equivalent to the American Patriot.
We are also developing remote-controlled munitions in a very short time frame to deliver them to Ukrainians this summer, — the minister added.
Replenishment of French stocks and support of Ukraine
Lecornu previously said that he would not rule out requiring manufacturers to prioritize military needs over civilian ones in order to speed up production.
Paris is ordering the French defense industry to produce faster to meet the needs of its army and support Ukraine in the long term.
The minister claimed that, in addition to Ukraine, missiles are also needed by France to fight in the Red Sea against the attacks of the Yemeni Houthi rebels.
