France to deliver more Scalp and Mistral missiles to Ukraine
France is set to send Ukraine an additional batch of Scalp missiles and Mistral air defense missiles, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in an interview published in Le Journal du Dimanche.
“We must sustain our support over the long term because it will enable Ukrainian authorities to consider political solutions when they are ready. Military aid is crucial, and even when the war ends, we must continue to strengthen the Ukrainian army,” Lecornu said.
He also noted that the French government will keep training Ukrainian Defense Forces personnel on French military ranges.
“We will maintain our unprecedented training program in eastern France, where 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are training in brigades led by French troops, using French equipment. We will keep providing support. As winter approaches, Russian deep strikes on Ukrainian territory are likely to intensify. We will deliver more Mistral missiles to protect combat zones. And to allow Ukraine to strike beyond the front lines, I signed off on the transfer of around ten Scalp missiles in recent days, as promised by the President of the French Republic to Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” Lecornu concluded.
France Info reported that 2,100 Ukrainian soldiers — the equivalent of a French army brigade — would undergo two months of training at military camps in France by the end of 2024.
Additionally, the Ukrainian Defense Forces will receive military equipment, including 128 VAB armored personnel carriers, 18 Caesar self-propelled artillery units, and 24 light tanks, along with anti-tank missiles, trucks, and radar systems.
On Oct. 1, it was announced that French-German defense company KNDS had opened a branch in Ukraine named KNDS Ukraine LLC. According to company representatives, this branch will facilitate effective maintenance and major repairs of weapons supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by Western allies, including Leopard 1 and Leopard tanks.
On Oct. 4, Lecornu stated that Ukraine would receive 12 Caesar artillery units from the French-German defense group KNDS.
On Oct. 16, he announced that the first French kamikaze drones would be delivered to Ukraine within weeks.
Then, on Oct. 22, the French defense minister mentioned the need to consider deploying non-nuclear deterrence forces in Ukraine.
