France sent Ukraine rocket systems, will send more next year: Macron
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The French President says his country has provided Ukraine with more arms, rocket launchers, and Crotale air defence batteries.
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French President Emmanuel Macron (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that France has delivered rocket launchers and weapons to Ukraine and will send more early next year.
In an interview aired Tuesday on TF1 and LCI television, Macron said that "in recent days, France has sent Ukraine more arms, rocket launchers, Crotale (air defence batteries), equipment beyond what we had already done."
He was speaking aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off Egypt's coast, a day before visiting Jordan for the Baghdad II conference on Tuesday.
"We are also working with the armed forces minister (Sebastien Lecornu) to be able to deliver useful arms and ammunition again in the first quarter (of 2023), so that the Ukrainians would be able to defend themselves against bombardments," indicated Macron.
The planned shipments include new Caesar mobile artillery units, but the French President provided no precise figures. He pointed out that the number "will depend" on the outcome of ongoing discussions with Denmark, which had ordered the Caesar guns from France and may agree to give at least some of them to Ukraine.
Last week, Macron presented an additional €125 million support package for Ukraine at the start of the "Standing with the Ukrainian People" conference that was held in Paris.
It is noteworthy that since the start of the Ukraine war, France has supplied Ukraine with 18 Caesar units, a 155-mm howitzer mounted on a six-wheeled truck chassis, capable of firing shells at ranges of more than 40 kilometers (25 miles).
Paris has also delivered anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles as well as armored personnel carriers.
In early December, Macron and US President Joe Biden pledged after their meeting in Washington to close ranks in helping Ukraine "defend itself from Russia." The two presidents reaffirmed support for Ukraine and the provision of all forms of assistance to Ukraine "for as long as it takes."
In mid-October, France and Ukraine signed an agreement over security and defense grants. The deal is meant to assist Ukraine's forces in boosting its military capabilities against Russia and set an initial aid amount of €100 million.
In the same context, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Macron has agreed to train up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the country, adding that France had already delivered 18 Caesar howitzers to Ukraine and that talks were underway to send six more.
Macron's "red lines" on arms deliveries
The French President claimed that he had two "red lines" when it came to arms deliveries: that it did not affect France's ability to defend itself and did not make Paris a co-belligerent in the war.
But Bloomberg reported that many European countries are suffering from a shortage in their stocks of ammunition and weapons due to the large supplies to Ukraine.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell considered in early December that the war in Ukraine has depleted the EU's weapon stockpiles, showing that it lacks "critical" capabilities to protect against threats on its border.
According to Macron, the arms were to "enable Ukraine to defend itself" in the face of Russian missiles and drone attacks.
The French leader repeated his statement that Russia would require security guarantees as part of a negotiated end to the conflict.
"If anyone criticises me for projecting forward to this issue, let them explain what they are proposing," Macron said in the interview.
"What the people who refuse to prepare or work for it are proposing is total war. It will affect the whole continent," he added.
Macron claims that only Ukraine should define the terms of any armistice with Russia, not the country's Western backers.
Read more: French prosecutors search Macron's Renaissance party offices
