France to send dozens of armoured vehicles, light tanks to Ukraine

AFP

France will send to Ukraine in the coming weeks dozens of armoured vehicles and light tanks, including the AMX-10RCs fighting vehicles, according to a joint statement issued after President Emmanuel Macron's talks with Ukraine's president.

After a working dinner that lasted more than three hours between Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the French presidency indicated that Paris was also concentrating its efforts on supporting Kyiv's air defence capabilities against Russian strikes.

The visit to Paris formed part of Zelenskiy's whirlwind weekend tour of several key European allies to drum up military and financial support ahead of an expected major Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russian forces.

After securing a bumper $3 billion new military package from Germany over the weekend, Zelenskiy said in Berlin on Sunday that Kyiv and its allies could make a Russian defeat "irreversible" as early as this year.

Macron reaffirmed to Zelenskiy that Paris will continue to provide political, financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine for as long as necessary, according to the statement.

A source at the French presidency told reporters that additional, more modern defence systems would be made available to Ukraine.

There is currently no question of delivering fighter jets to Kyiv, as it has requested, the source added.

The French AMX-10RCs vehicles have high speed and manoeuvrability, allowing them to move quickly on the battlefield and change positions. Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov called them a "sniper rifle on ... fast wheels."

More from International

Coming Up on Dubai Eye

  • Nights on Dubai Eye 103.8

    11:00pm - 6:00am

    Dubai Eye complements the conversation with the music you love from the eighties, nineties and newer.

  • The Business Breakfast

    6:00am - 10:00am

    The Business Breakfast is the day’s must listen for the UAE’s business leaders, and those who aspire to be.

BUSINESS BREAKFAST LATEST

  • UAE Companies Face A 38% Jump In Claims For Petrol Expenses

    A report from Bayzat, an HR software, says that there's been a 38% increase in the amount employees are claiming back in fuel charges.

  • Increase in bag loss

    Airports are facing an increase in baggage mishandling rate as the number of passengers continue to rise. So we asked Nicole Hogg, Product Management Director, Baggage at SITA whether bag loss is a new trend.

  • Could Space Travel Become More Accessible?

    H.E. Ibrahim Al Qassim, Deputy Director General of the UAE Space Agency joined us to explain what it would take for more people to be able to go into space.

On Dubai Eye