Macron denounces 'pacifists' and 'spirit of defeat' on Ukraine
"We know this camp of pacifists. It is the one of capitulators. It's the spirit of defeat. We are not like this," Macron told reporters in Paris alongside Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, in a thinly veiled jab at his critics including the far-right opposition at home.
He added peace in the conflict could not come through the "capitulation of the side that was attacked".
"We are for peace in line with international law, but which recognises the legitimate right of a people to resist when it is attacked," Macron said.
"This is the only peace that counts. So the pressure we are exerting is on Russia," he said.
With a peace summit due in Switzerland later this month, Zelensky said peace had to last.
"It is very important to have a fair and lasting peace. Not for an hour, not for a month, not for a year. Preferably forever."
- 'Not alone' -
Macron also said he wanted to "finalise" the creation of a coalition of military instructors for Ukraine in the coming days.
"We will use the days to come to finalise the largest possible coalition to implement Ukraine's demand," Macron said alongside Zelensky, who had on Thursday attended ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy.
"We want to have a coalition and several of our partners have already given their agreement... We are not alone."
Zelensky said he was "grateful for this initiative".
Russian authorities have insisted that French instructors would become a "legitimate target" for Moscow.
"Who would we be to give in to... threats from Russia?" retorted Macron.
France is one of Kyiv's main Western backers since Russia unleashed its full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
French defence group Thales on Friday announced it would sell a second air defence system to Ukraine's defence ministry, one of Kyiv's main demands as relentless Russian missile and drone strikes pound its infrastructure and cities.
Macron also said he wanted to speed up Kyiv's EU accession talks.
"France continues to support Ukraine in all areas including on the European level by seeking to have the effective launch of membership negotiations by the end of the month," Macron said, adding that France also wanted an "irreversible path" to NATO membership for Ukraine.
The European Union's executive told member states earlier on Friday that Ukraine and Moldova had met all the criteria needed to launch negotiations to join the bloc, officials said.
A raft of EU countries are pressing the 27-nation bloc to formally start the talks on June 25 -- after leaders took the landmark decision to open negotiations in December.
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- The number of units that will be sent depends on the “coalition with other partners” that is yet to be built.
- It is worth noting that this potential coalition would run alongside an existing F-16 coalition, wherein Denmark and the Netherlands among others are sending F-16 Fighting Falcons to Ukraine, while the UK instructs pilots.
Macron specified that the jets would be Mirage 2000-5s, which are optimized for air-to-air combat—and not older Mirage 2000Cs or air-to-ground Mirage 2000D attack jets. All the variants share the same basic shape and performance: a tailless delta wing, a single engine, a nose-mounted multi-mode radar and supersonic speed.
The choice of variant makes sense.
- The French air force retired its last few 1980s-vintage Mirage 2000Cs in 2022.
- Last year, a French official said just 13 Mirage 2000Cs still had “a bit of potential.”
- The French air force is upgrading most of its 80 or so Mirage 2000Ds for continuing service.
Surviving French Mirage 2000-5s—out of the 37 “dash-fives” Dassault built for the French air force in the 1990s—are scheduled to retire between now and 2029, but French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said their replacements, new Dassault Rafales, could arrive early—and speed up the process.
With a little bureaucratic urgency, there’s no reason France couldn’t equip the Ukrainian air force with a couple of dozen Mirage 2000-5s—enough to replace an existing Ukrainian fighter brigade or form a new brigade—in time to support the current conflict. . .
Another aircraft model under consideration for Ukraine was Sweden's Saab JAS 39 Gripen. Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson disclosed to the Kyiv Independent in March that talks regarding a possible transfer to Ukraine were underway following Stockholm's NATO accession.
The Gripen is a light multi-role aircraft capable of being equipped with modern active radar-guided air-to-air Meteor missiles, tailored for intercepting agile targets like jet aircraft, cruise missiles, or drones.
However, in a surprising development, Jonson announced in late May that partner nations had requested Sweden to temporarily halt any plans for supplying Gripen jets.
This decision came as the fighter jet coalition prioritized the development of Ukraine's F-16 capabilities. Macron's recent announcement regarding the supply of a different fighter jet system has introduced further uncertainties into the equation.
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