France is preparing to deliver military assistance to Ukraine in the next few weeks, with a package that will feature missiles funded by proceeds from frozen Russian assets, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on Monday.

During a press conference following a meeting of the defense ministers from Poland, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany, Lecornu stressed that most missiles being sent from France to Ukraine in the coming weeks, including Caesar howitzers, Mistral missiles, and Aster missiles, will be largely financed by revenues from frozen Russian assets.

He added that this decision marks a diplomatic success and a significant win for France's defense budget. 

Lecornu stated that as many as 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers trained by France have returned to Ukraine to take part in military operations, emphasizing France's commitment to continuing the training of Ukrainian personnel and highlighting the need to expand the capacity for training additional brigades.

Weapon purchase from Russian funds

Earlier, Lecornu reported that income from frozen Russian assets in 2024 had reached 300 million euros. He explained that these funds enabled the purchase of 12 new Caesar howitzers, which will be sent to Ukraine, along with 155-mm shells, Aster missiles, AASM guided bombs, firing points, and Mistral missiles.

He also stated that military aid to Ukraine in 2024 will exceed 2 billion euros.

Lecornu stated that the fighter jets promised to Kiev would be delivered in the first quarter of 2025. He added that these aircraft would be equipped with new air-to-ground weapons. He also reminded that France has continued training Ukrainian pilots and mechanics.

Meanwhile, Russia has argued that these arms supplies to Ukraine hinder efforts to reach a settlement and directly draw NATO countries into the conflict.

'Weapons to Ukraine considered direct against target' 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that any shipment of weapons to Ukraine would be considered a legitimate target for Russia. 

The Kremlin has argued that the West's continued arms supplies to Ukraine are counterproductive to negotiations and would only exacerbate the situation.

Several weeks ago, the United Kingdom delivered dozens of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine for the first time since Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

The publication noted that the deliveries had not been publicly disclosed. They took place several weeks ago, after Kiev had exhausted its supply of long-range missiles, but before the recent decision by the US and UK to allow Ukraine to target deep inside Russia with long-range missiles.

The exact number of missiles and the date of their arrival in Ukraine have not been disclosed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that on November 19, Ukraine used American long-range ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets in the Kursk and Bryansk regions.

In retaliation for the use of these Western weapons, Russia launched a combined strike on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities on November 21, targeting a major industrial complex in Dnipro (Dnepropetrovsk) that manufactures missile technology and weapons.

During these operations, one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems, known as Oreshnik, was also tested in combat conditions, using a ballistic missile equipped with non-nuclear hypersonic technology.