Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is travelling to Paris on Monday to seek military aid from President Macron following massive Russian attacks on Kyiv, officials said.
According to its intelligence services (HUR), Ukraine has been unable to defend vital infrastructure from Russian attacks in and around the capital, resulting in massive damage and loss of life. Zelenskyy’s visit is part of a brief tour of his Western allies that saw him seal an energy deal with Greece on Sunday and will include a visit to Spain on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president said that "a major deal with France" will be announced soon, but it was not known if that would be finalised in his talks with President Emmanuel Macron.
The French presidency said Macron would put French excellence in the armaments industry at the service of the defence of Ukraine. Macron’s office has offered air defence systems to Ukraine, after Zelenskyy made fresh appeals for anti-missile systems, a day after deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv.
The talks between the two leaders will kick off at the Villacoublay air base near Paris for a presentation of France's Rafale fighter jet. Zelenskyy is eyeing the drones and France’s SAMP-T surface-to-air missile system it developed with Italy.
In October, he signed a letter of intent that could see Ukraine receiving up to 150 fourth-generation Swedish Gripen fighters. Ukraine already has one of the current SAMP-T systems that can counter fighter jets as well as cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles.
A new-generation, more powerful SAMP-T system should become available from 2027. France has also promised to provide Aster missiles that can be fired from the SAMP-T or from aircraft to Ukraine.
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