French Minister of National Defence Sébastien Lecornu has said that Paris will continue to provide military support to Ukraine following the election of Donald Trump as US president.
Source: Lecornu in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche; European Pravda reports
Details: Lecornu said that France should support Ukraine on a long-term basis, "because it will also allow the Ukrainian authorities to consider political decisions when they decide to do so".
"Military support is very important, and even when the war is over, we must continue to strengthen the Ukrainian army," he added.
Among other things, the French defence minister announced the extension of the training programme for Ukrainian soldiers. 2,000 soldiers are being trained under the guidance of French soldiers and on French equipment as part of the programme.
"Secondly, we will continue our support. As winter sets in, Russia's deep strikes on Ukrainian territory are likely to intensify. We will again supply Mistral missiles (for anti-aircraft missile systems – ed.), in particular to protect combat areas.
And in order to enable Ukraine to strike behind the line of contact, in the last few days, I have signed a decision on a new transfer of about ten SCALP missiles, as promised to Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the President of France," Lecornu added.
SCALPs are long-range air-to-surface missiles, the transfer of which was first announced by France in early 2024.
Moreover, French media unofficially reported last month that France would hand over the first batch of three Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine in early 2025.
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