Overview
- Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a non-binding declaration of intent at Villacoublay for roughly 100 Dassault Rafale fighters within a wider defense cooperation.
- The envisaged package includes eight new-generation SAMP-T air-defense systems, four radar systems, AASM Hammer guided bombs and a range of drones, according to the Élysée.
- Analysts place the fully equipped cost near €15 billion for 100 aircraft, with estimates around €150 million per jet versus roughly €90 million for airframes alone.
- Funding terms are not settled, with one reported option using returns on frozen Russian assets to service bank loans rather than drawing directly on Ukraine’s budget.
- Deliveries are projected over about ten years, though some experts say initial aircraft could arrive in three to four years, and the move has intensified tensions with Moscow where polling shows 48% view France as hostile.