France will deliver an unspecified number of air defense missiles, as well as additional military aid, over the coming days and weeks, Reuters reported on May 14.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday in the National Assembly that the country will deliver an additional batch of Aster missiles for the SAMP/T air defence system - France's equivalent of the U.S. Patriot.
"I have just signed a second batch of Aster missiles to allow the SAMP/T - that we gave (Ukraine) with our Italian partners - to continue to operate," Lecornu said.
No details were provided as to how many missiles would be sent, nor was a timeline for when weapons deliveries could be expected.
Earlier on May 14, following French President Emanuel Macron's conversation with Prisident Volodymyr Zelensky, the Elysee also confirmed it would provide Ukraine with additional military aid. Although the Elysee declined to specify the details of the aid, Reuters reported.
"The President of the Republic reiterated France's determination to provide all the necessary support... He was also able to detail the deliveries for the coming days and weeks in support of the Ukrainian military effort," the Elysee said in a statement.
Lecornu initially announced on March 30, that France would deliver a shipment of Aster 30 anti-aircraft missiles and hundreds of armored vehicles to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package. Lecornu also said the country was "developing tele-operated munitions... to deliver them to the Ukrainians this summer."
Kyiv faces an air defense shortage that has grown increasingly urgent amid intensifying Russian strikes. Russian forces leveraged Ukraine's ammunition shortages, compounded by the lack of U.S. aid, and ramped up pressure along the front.
In February, Russian forces captured Avdiivka, a key front-line city in Donetsk Oblast, and subsequently shifted focus toward the town of Chasiv Yar. Most recently, Moscow's troops launched new offensive operations in the north of Kharkiv Oblast, accompanying the campaign with heavy shelling and airstrikes.
Martin Fornusek
