French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [EPA/Yonhap]
French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [EPA/Yonhap]

French President Emmanuel Macron pledged Saturday to supply interceptor missiles to Ukraine, whose air defenses have been severely depleted.

Macron wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following two Russian airstrikes in broad daylight that caused heavy casualties at a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih. "It is essential that we provide Ukraine with all the means it needs to defend its airspace and repel the aggression," he said.

Referencing a missile defense coalition involving nine European countries, Macron added that he had informed Zelensky of France's intention to supply interceptor missiles and step up support.

France, Germany, Italy, Spain and five other countries agreed last month to establish an "Integrated Ballistic Missile Defense Coalition" with Ukraine to build a joint defense capability.

Earlier, France signed a letter of intent in November to sell 100 Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine and agreed to deploy the SAMP-T air defense system — jointly developed with Italy — in Ukraine starting this year.

Zelensky also said Saturday that he had discussed the air defense shortfall with Macron and that France had agreed to accelerate the delivery of its latest equipment.

Ukraine has been appealing to countries for air defense support as Russian airstrikes have caused large-scale casualties on a near-daily basis in recent weeks.

Macron and other Western leaders are set to hold a so-called "Coalition of the Willing" meeting on Monday to review their support posture for Ukraine.

France co-leads the Coalition of the Willing alongside Britain, but has drawn criticism for providing relatively modest practical support given that it has the third-largest economy in Europe.

According to data compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany, France's total support for Ukraine from the start of the war in February 2022 through June this year ranked below that of the United States, Germany, Britain, Canada, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. As a share of GDP, France ranked 13th among European nations in support provided.


husn7@heraldcorp.com