Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, France has been communicating more and more about its arms deliveries to Ukrainians. Here are the armaments officially sent to the troops of Volodymyr Zelensky.
France has made 14 deliveries to Ukraine since the Russian invasion. The state still refused to deliver Leclerc tanks to Zelensky’s troops, but took the vast majority of the supplies sent from its own stock.
Information is often given in dribs and drabs because some equipment is classified as a defense secret. Emmanuel Macron also wanted to position himself as a mediator at the start of the conflict, which explained Paris’s reluctance to assume his deliveries.
From now on, each Western tour of Volodymyr Zelensky brings the Élysée to communicate on the subject. On May 15, the French head of state declared that he had “opened the door to train (Ukrainian) pilots now” but that a delivery of fighter planes “would be a theoretical debate”.
Individual fighter equipment is difficult to estimate because most stocks are classified (helmets, bulletproof vests, night vision binoculars, combat rations, NBC suits, medical equipment, ammunition of all calibers, fuel and HDP-2A2 anti-tank mines ) .
Since the beginning of the conflict, France is the 9th country in terms of assistance to Ukraine according to the Kiel Institute. France, by compiling armaments, humanitarian and financial resources has committed 1.74 billion euros. This is far less than European powers like Germany (7.37 billion) and Great Britain (9.83) but also, more surprisingly, than Norway (2.35) and the Netherlands (3 ,94).
His countries are therefore wondering about France’s will in this conflict. To questions from the BBC on October 3, 2022, the Ministry of the Armed Forces argued that the French equipment provided was more focused on its quality than its quantity. For France, some contributing countries deliver obsolete equipment to look good.
The army is also reluctant to give too much, as this would weaken national stocks. Hearing before the National Assembly on July 20, 2022, General and Chief of the Army Staff Pierre Schill declared: “If (materials) are sent to Ukraine, it is a military capability that is amputated , the right balance would be not to give away too much of our equipment.”
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