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Macron pledges Mirage jets and pilot training
Summary
A look back at France's announcement of fighter aircraft for Ukraine and the warning from Moscow two days earlier.
What did France commit to Ukraine on 6 June 2024? President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would send Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and train Ukrainian pilots by the end of 2024.
The announcement came two days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned, on 4 June 2024, that French military instructors would be "legitimate targets" if they were deployed to Ukraine.
The two statements placed the question of Western military assistance, and of French trainers in particular, at the centre of the exchange between Paris and Moscow. Macron's pledge combined the delivery of aircraft with pilot training, with both set to take place by the end of 2024.
