France has promised to deliver many more light tanks and armoured vehicles to Ukraine as part of its ongoing conflict with Russia, as well as train Ukrainian forces on how to operate them, according to Al Jazeera.
This came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in France late Sunday and met French President Emmanuel Macron for a working dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
“In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with tens of armoured vehicles and light tanks including AMX-10RC,” the two leaders announced following almost three hours of talks in a joint statement on Monday, according to Al Jazeera.
The trip to Paris was part of Zelenskyy’s weekend-long whirlwind tour of several major European allies, ahead of an expected major Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia.
Zelenskyy stated in Berlin on Sunday that Kyiv and its allies might make a Russian defeat “irreversible” as early as this year after getting a new USD3 billion military package from Germany, according to Al Jazeera.
Macron stated in Paris that France will continue to provide Ukraine with political, monetary, humanitarian, and military assistance for as long as it is required. Due to their high speed and mobility, French AMX-10RC vehicles appear to be able to move quickly across the battlefield and switch positions.