The armed forces of France in the near future will concentrate on replenishing the reserves of weapons and ammunition. On February 17, a military observer of the newspaper wrote about this Le Figaro Nicolas Barott.
It is noted that despite the impressive amount of €413 billion allocated for the development of the republic’s armed forces in 2024-2030, the army will have to focus on replenishing stocks, rather than developing and applying new materials and technologies.
Under the current conditions, the army must be effective, not impress, the publication emphasizes.
“Either we pay for the army for the parade on July 14 (National holiday in France, when the President of the Republic takes the parade on the Champs Elysees in the center of Paris. – Ed.), Or we need troops to wage war,” the newspaper quotes the words of the chief of the main staff of the Armed Forces Republic of Thierry Burkhardt.
Le Figaro pointed out that if in the past the army could create “companies suitable for each specific mission”, then in the current situation it needs to have units pre-formed and ready for battle. In addition, these units must be equipped with ammunition and have the support necessary for their deployment. The newspaper reports that high mobility is needed to be able to quickly deploy these formations if necessary, “especially within the framework of coalitions or under the auspices of NATO.”
Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to rearm and increase investment in the defense industry.
At the same time, the French Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, said that Kyiv could count on the speedy delivery of additional Caesar self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS). In addition, all countries in Europe must adapt their economies to accelerate the production of weapons, she added.
At the same time, on February 14, the Le Figaro newspaper, citing National Assembly deputy Julien Rancoule, that the French Armed Forces are experiencing a shortage of ammunition against the backdrop of assistance to Kiev, this may increase disagreements on the issue of supporting Ukraine.
On February 1, Ukraine and France agreed to supply French radars for Ukrainian air defense systems (Air Defense).
The day before, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, after negotiations with his Ukrainian counterpart Alexei Reznikov, announced that Paris would supply Ukraine with 12 more CAESAR artillery mounts. France will also send 150 troops to Poland to train 600 Ukrainians a month, he added.
The Politico newspaper wrote on January 30 that France plans to study the issue of training pilots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to control Western fighters.
At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the possibility of deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine by Western countries. However, he stressed that the transfer of such weapons should not lead to an escalation of the conflict.
Prior to this, on January 27, the newspaper Il Messaggero wrote about the plans of France and Italy to send Aster 30 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. They are used to equip SAMP-T air defense systems. The material noted that the countries agreed on a joint purchase of about 700 of these missiles.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of a Russian special operation to protect Donbass. The decision was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
