News Feed, Ukraine, France, Emmanuel Macron, Long-range missiles, Military aid

Macron announces coalition to send Kyiv long-range missiles

by Abbey Fenbert and The Kyiv Independent news desk February 27, 2024 5:33 AM 2 min read

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the Globsec regional security forum in Bratislava, Slovakia, on May 31, 2023. (Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)

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French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Feb. 26 that a new coalition will work to supply Ukraine with "medium- and long-range missiles and bombs."

Macron held a summit on Ukraine in Paris, convening 20 European heads of state and other Western officials. The meeting included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as leaders from the Baltic states.

France and other allies of Ukraine will "create a coalition for deep strikes and therefore medium- and long-range missiles and bombs," Macron said at a press conference, according to Le Monde.

Ukraine has long appealed to allies for long-range weapons, including the U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Germany's Taurus missiles. Fears of escalation with Moscow have prevented Western partners from readily transferring the weapons.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 24, the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, that Ukraine will not use long-range missile systems to strike targets in Russia.

France has already supplied Ukraine with long-range SCALP missiles, the equivalent of the British Storm Shadows. These can travel up to 250 kilometers, a shorter range than that of ATACMS and Taurus missiles.

"Today, the initiatives we have launched will be put on the table, and in 10 days' time, you will have a clear answer with a serious agenda," Macron said.

Macron said that some of the initiatives were not ready to be made public.

Macron earlier told reporters that the possibility of deploying Western troops in Ukraine to fight Russia's invasion could not be "ruled out."

Authors: Abbey Fenbert, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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