Evgenia Sokolenko09:53, 03/31/24

Paris wants to help Ukraine strengthen its air defense.

The country’s Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu announced the transfer of hundreds of armored vehicles and Aster missiles to Ukraine .

As he said in an interview with The Tribune, arms deliveries are scheduled for 2024 and early 2025. It is noted that we are talking about well-known VAB armored personnel carriers, which are more than 40 years old. The French themselves are already switching to the new generation Griffon armored vehicles.

“To hold such a large front line, the Ukrainian army needs, for example, our front-line armored vehicles (VAB): this is absolutely key to the mobility of troops… This old equipment, which is still working, will be able to directly benefit Ukraine in significant quantities.” , emphasized Lecornu.

According to the minister, in response to Kyiv’s requests to strengthen air defense, Paris will release Aster 30 ammunition for SAMP/T – the equivalent of the American Patriot.

“We are also developing remote-controlled ammunition in a very short time frame to deliver it to Ukrainians this summer,” the head of the Defense Ministry added.

He also does not rule out that France may shift priority from civilian to military manufacturers in order to speed up the process. The government is rushing the defense industry to meet the needs of its army and long-term support for Ukraine.

(C)UNIAN 2024