France pledges €200 million infusion to Ukraine's warfighting fund
Sébastien Lecornu (Photo: EPA)

The French government plans to provide €200 million ($214 million) to the Ukraine support fund in order to enable the Ukrainian army to continue purchasing equipment from French manufacturers, announced the Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Sébastien Lecornu, speaking before the National Assembly, France info reports.

"You voted in the committee for an amendment that opens an additional €200 million for the Ukraine Support Fund, and the government must fulfill its obligations so that these additional funds are allocated," the minister said.

He emphasized that the war in Ukraine is "a conflict from which we must not turn away", so these funds will help to implement a new strategy of cooperation with Ukraine, namely to purchase new equipment for the Defense Forces.

The draft law makes it possible to adjust the allocation for the current financial year. The budget of the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France in 2024 will increase by €3.3 billion, that is, by 7.5%, to €47.2 billion.

On Wednesday, the National Assembly plans to give final approval to the appropriations amendment, which was previously approved by the relevant committee.

On September 20, the French Intelligence Online portal reported that Ukraine and France are discussing the possibility of transferring Mirage 2000 fighters from the country's Air Force to Ukrainian pilots.

On September 29, representatives of French defense companies, who accompanied French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu in Kyiv, signed about 20 contracts, letters of intent or memorandums of understanding with Ukrainian industrial companies.

On October 4, the Financial Times wrote that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron allegedly "do not get along", which slows down decision-making at the level of the European Union, in particular, regarding aid to Ukraine.

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