France has committed more than 3.8 billion euros ($4.1 billion) in security assistance to Ukraine between Feb. 24, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2023, including 2.615 billion euros ($2.8 billion) in military equipment and a 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) donation to the European Peace Facility (EFF), the French Defense Ministry announced on March 3.
Although France has committed a comparably smaller portion of its GDP than countries like Germany or Poland, French President Emmanuel Macron has recently called for more decisive steps in support of Ukraine, even not ruling out sending troops to the besieged country.
The newly published list of 50 items includes 30 Caesar self-propelled artillery systems, 38 AMX10 armored fighting vehicles, 250 VAB armored vehicles in various modifications, 160 drones, and 10 drone-detecting systems.
France has also supplied Ukraine with several air defense systems, including SAMP/T (one unit), Mistral (six units), and Crotale (two units), as well as an unidentified amount of missiles for these systems.
Ukrainian forces further received 1.1 million small ammunition rounds, some 1.74 million 12.7 mm cartridges, 30,000 155 mm artillery shells, and over 1,000 AT4 anti-tank launchers.
Other items include various vehicles, grenades, small arms, medical aid, technical equipment, fuel, body armor, and more.
Separate from the overall $4.1 billion sum, the French military has also helped train almost 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers in France and Poland.
Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed an agreement on Feb. 16 on a long-term security cooperation between the two countries, under which Paris pledged 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in military aid this year.
France also announced a new defense aid package, including artillery shells, Caesar howitzers, and air defenses.
European defense assistance is all the more crucial for Ukraine as $60 billion in aid from the U.S., a key military donor, remains stuck in Congress due to opposition from parts of the Republican Party.
Alexander Khrebet
