French President Emmanuel Macron announced in an interview with French media that France intends to provide Mirage warplanes to Ukraine and conduct training for their soldiers. "We are initiating a new collaboration and will transfer Mirage 2000-5s," Macron stated during the interview on Thursday evening. He also promised to hold a full battalion of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers for full readiness to fight, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Macron underlined that the supply of French combat aircraft "is not an escalation" and further added that "these weapons will not be used to bomb civilians." Moreover, he hinted at the potential deployment of military instructors to Ukraine, stating, "There should be no restrictions on discussing this matter."
The Mirage 2000, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, is a French multi-role, single-engine, fourth-generation fighter jet.
Macron had previously suggested in February that European nations should dispatch troops to Ukraine during a meeting in Paris. However, several European countries, including Germany, Britain, Spain, and Italy, expressed their dissent.
In response to Macron's February remarks, Russia cautioned that direct conflict between NATO and Russia would become inevitable if the alliance deployed troops to Ukraine.
Earlier on Thursday, Macron presided over a ceremony at Omaha Beach in Normandy, northern France, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Live footage on French media BFMTV reported that some 20 heads of state and government, including US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, participated in the event.
Traveling to France for the commemoration on Tuesday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that the country would continue to adhere to its policy of not sending military advisors to Ukraine.
The Normandy landings on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944, was a turning point in World War II and led to the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany.
Read also | US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Foster Relations with Modi 3.0 Government
