Overview
- Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron signed the document at Villacoublay air base, enabling procurement of Rafale F4 fighters plus SAMP/T air-defense systems, radars, air-to-air missiles and aerial bombs.
- Both governments confirmed it is a letter of intent rather than a binding sale, and the Élysée withheld detailed terms of the prospective contracts.
- Zelenskyy said the fighters would be delivered by 2035, and reporting indicates some jets could come from French stocks while extensive pilot training and integration will be required.
- The agreement also launches defense-industry cooperation, including joint production of interceptor drones and work on critical technologies for Ukrainian systems.
- Financing arrangements and precise delivery sources and schedules remain unresolved, as Paris uses the pledge to signal sustained backing for Kyiv under heavy Russian aerial attacks.