France will train and equip several Ukrainian battalions with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RC, according to the Joint Declaration released by the French and Ukrainian presidents after meeting on May 14.
The presidents dicussed military support for Ukraine, cooperation on war crimes prosecution, and sanctions against Russia.
France also welcomed the agreement on the new International Centre for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) in The Hague. The declaration emphasized other steps France has taken to help prosecute war crimes, including technical support to Ukraine through provision of two mobile DNA laboratories.
Ahead of the July NATO summit in Vilnius, “France fully supports the NATO-Ukraine Commission as a venue to further increase and expand the ongoing cooperation to help fulfil Ukraine’s path towards the Euro-Atlantic family,” the report said.
The statement comes amid reports of divisions within NATO on Ukraine’s membership plans, with France reportedly taking a slower, more cautious approach compared to Eastern European countries.
Asami Terajima
