Ukraine is set to acquire 100 Rafale planes from France. This was agreed upon by Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron during the week.
The agreement is part of a larger package where Ukraine, in addition to the most modern version of the fighter aircraft called Rafale F4, will also receive French air defense systems, anti-aircraft radar, missiles, and bombs. The delivery of the fighter planes is expected to be completed within ten years.
With this agreement, Ukraine will become the country with the second largest fleet of Rafale planes in the world. France has a similar number of fighter planes of the same type, but has ordered more.
Other countries such as India, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates have previously purchased Rafale planes.
Zelensky’s diplomatic tour
The announcement of Ukraine’s acquisition of French fighter planes comes during a diplomatic tour that Zelensky conducted earlier in the week. In addition to France, he also visited Greece and Spain, countries where support for the Ukrainian cause is relatively weak, in an effort to persuade decision-makers there to open their wallets.
During the visit, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised that Spain will spend over 800 million euros, equivalent to around 9 billion Swedish kronor, in support of Ukraine.
Spain will invest two of these billion in Ukraine’s corruption-ridden energy sector, and just over one billion in the so-called Purl initiative. An arrangement in which the US sends weapons to Ukraine that European taxpayers pay for.
READ ALSO: USA urges EU: Buy weapons from us – and donate them to Ukraine
Gripen deal
Last month, Zelensky visited Sweden and expressed his hope of acquiring 100 or perhaps as many as 150 Swedish Gripen planes.
If this deal were to materialize, it would make Ukraine the country with the largest Gripen fleet in the world. The Swedish Armed Forces have barely 100 Gripen planes.
The responsible politicians hope to finance the multi-billion deals through Russian assets seized in the Western world.
READ ALSO: Zelensky in Sweden: ‘Hopes to get at least 100 Gripen planes’