A first batch of French Mirage 2000-5s fighter jets and additional US-made F-16 fighter planes pledged to Kyiv have arrived in Ukraine.
“Ukraine’s air fleet continues to develop,” - President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media on Thursday.
“The first Mirage 2000 jets from France have arrived, adding to our air defense capabilities. I thank [French President] Emmanuel Macron for his leadership and support. France's president keeps his word, and we appreciate it. This is another step in strengthening Ukraine's security," – he added.
Last June, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would transfer Mirage 2000-5 aircraft to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of military cooperation with Kyiv.
Of the 26 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft owned by the French air force, six were to be transferred to Ukraine, according to a budget report published by France’s National Assembly lower house.
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu also confirmed the delivery of the Mirage fighters, saying: "Manned by Ukrainian pilots who have trained in France for several months, they will now participate in the defense of Ukraine's skies."
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in a post on Facebook that “the Ukrainian sky is becoming more secure!”
Welcoming the arrival of “the first French Mirage 2000 fighter jets and F-16s from the Kingdom of the Netherlands,” Umerov said: “These modern combat aircraft have already arrived in Ukraine and will soon begin carrying out combat missions, strengthening our defense and enhancing our ability to effectively counter Russian aggression.”
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