France To Supply Ukraine With Mirage 2000s And Crew Training
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that France will provide Ukraine with Mirage 2000 aircraft and train Ukrainian crews to operate them.
In a live interview on French television, Macron said that the “new cooperation” to supply the Mirage 2000s and training would be launched on Friday, when he is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky.
Macron added that the program aimed to train pilots and ground crew in France for five to six months upon its start in the summer, so trained pilots and Mirages could be operational by the end of the year.
There is a challenge in capacity. That is why the Ukrainian president and his minister of defense asked all the allies – 48 hours ago in an official letter – saying “we need you to train us quicker and that you do this on our soil”.
“Peace cannot mean Ukraine’s capitulation”, said Macron, adding that continued Russian advances meant that it was not time to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Macron’s comments were made at the end of a day of events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. Zelensky was among world leaders present at Normandy for commemorations, meeting with veterans of the landings.
Macron’s announcement that France will be training Ukrainian air force crews on the Mirages also comes shortly after a report in Politico that Ukrainian officials are frustrated with the pace of training programs instituted for Ukrainian pilots that will operate F-16s donated by Western European nations, as many training slots are already taken by trainee F-16 pilots from other nations.
Previously, French newspaper Le Figaro claimed in March 2023 that Ukrainian pilots were being trained on French Air and Space Force Mirage 2000s ahead of a potential delivery of at least 12 Mirages. However, the Ukrainian Air Force denied the claims made in the article, saying that no Ukrainian Air Force pilots were being trained in France in the time period claimed.