Zelensky in Paris, welcomed by Macron
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the military airport of Villacoublay, near Paris, a few minutes before 10 am. He reached Emmanuel Macron who was waiting for him by car at the military base. The two greeted each other with a warm hug. Zelensky’s visit to Paris has the main objective of obtaining assistance from Paris in the field of defense and in particular in the air. With Macron, Zelensky will talk about Kiev’s military needs and the cooperation of the defense industries of the two countries, with the Ukrainian president having already announced “a major agreement in preparation”. According to the Elysée, it is about «making French excellence in the field of the armaments industry available to the defense of Ukraine» and «allowing it to acquire the systems it needs to respond to Russian aggression». Kiev specifically spoke, in this regard, of “defense of Ukrainian space”, Zelensky reiterated his appeal to obtain additional air defense systems in these days of new massive Russian attacks against his country. Macron and Zelensky have planned, for the day of the Ukrainian’s visit to France, a visit to Mont Valérien, west of Paris, to the general staff of the “Ukrainian multinational force” that Paris and London are setting up with a view to deployment after the signing of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky, who signed a letter of intent last month for the acquisition of 100-150 Swedish Gripen fighters, will be presented with the French Rafale fighter jet, drone systems and the new generation SAMP-T anti-aircraft defense system. This is a system scheduled for delivery to France starting in 2027, which has extended anti-missile interception capabilities compared to the SAMP-T.
