French MoD spox denies reports on teaching Kiev troops to operate jets

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Mar 2023 19:09

This comes after Le Figaro reported that the French armed forces were training Ukrainian troops to fly the French-made Dassault’s Mirage 2000 fighter jets.

A French Mirage 2000 jet fighter

A French Defense ministry said on Thursday that reports issued earlier this week alleging that the French army is training Ukrainian troops to master the Dassault’s Mirage 2000 fighter jets are false and that the exercises are only limited to avoid land-to-air defenses and survival in case aircraft are downed.

On Wednesday, Le Figaro reported that the French armed forces were training Ukrainian troops to fly the French-made fighter jets. About 30 pilots have completed six weeks of training at Mont-de-Marsan and Nancy air bases using retired planes, the report said.

"We are training Ukrainian crews in France, notably with regard to land-to-air defenses and survival in case their aircraft is downed… We are not training Ukrainian airmen in the art of piloting or use of weapons systems," Yann Gravethe was quoted as saying at a news briefing by L'Express.

Gravethe noted that 1,200 Ukrainian troops are presently receiving training in France. The French government also vowed to train 600 Ukrainian troops per month in Poland within the framework of the EU training mission.

Bratislava said on March 18 that the country would donate 13 MiG-29 warplanes to Ukraine, becoming another NATO member, second only to Poland, to pledge the aircraft to Ukraine in light of the ongoing war.

"We will hand over 13 of our MiG-29 jets to Ukraine," Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger told journalists. Moreover, he revealed that Bratislava would also deliver a Kub air defense system to Kiev.

"We're giving these MiGs to Ukraine so that it can protect civilians against the many bombs that fall on their houses and which are the reason why people are dying in Ukraine," Heger said.

This comes after Polish President Andrzej Duda said on March 16 that Warsaw would send four MiG-29 jets to Ukraine within a few days.

"We can safely say that we are also sending MiG jets to Ukraine. We have more than ten of them in stock at the moment," Duda said at a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel, adding that four fighters will be provided "literally in the coming days."