Emmanuel Macron announces that France will supply Milan anti-tank missiles as well as Caesar guns to Ukraine to help it deal with the Russian invasion.
It was in an interview granted to “Ouest-France” this Friday that the candidate president gave more details on these next deliveries.
“We deliver (…) substantial equipment, from Milan to Caesar through several types of armaments”, affirmed Emmanuel Macron in the daily newspaper which questioned him on the supply of heavy weapons by Europe to the Ukraine. He added: “I think we have to continue on this path. With always a red line which is not to enter into co-belligerence”.
Until now, Paris had refrained from specifying the types of armaments delivered to kyiv. The only exception: the announcement in mid-April of “100 million euros in donations of equipment already made” as well as the supply of “additional military capabilities”.
Asked by Agence France-Presse, the Elysée did not specify the number of Milan missiles and Caesar guns delivered, so as not to “give operational information” which could be used by the Russian army. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the delivery of the Caesars was in progress, “they will be delivered in the coming days” as well as “thousands of shells”, still according to the Élysée.
About forty Ukrainian soldiers must also be trained in France in their handling from Saturday, added the presidency without further details.
Guns already exported to Saudi Arabia
The French Army has 76 Caesar guns. This 155 mm gun, with a range of 40 kilometers mounted on a truck, has already been exported before to Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Indonesia, Morocco, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
As for material aid to Ukraine, several NATO countries have already given the green light to deliveries of heavy weapons, such as the United States, Great Britain, the Czech Republic or the Netherlands. .
On Thursday, the United States announced additional US aid to Ukraine of $800 million, including 72 Howitzer howitzers and their vehicles as well as 144,000 shells. “It’s important, because of the nature of the fighting we anticipate in Donbass, because of the terrain, because it’s open, because it’s flat, because it’s not as urbanized,” explained Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. “We think it will be a force multiplier” for the Ukrainians.
