Ukraine reaches deal with France for fighter jets

2025-11-17 20:03:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukraine has reached a 10-year deal with France to supply 100 Rafale fighter jets to bolster its defenses, while the Kremlin said it hopes for a new summit with the United States to discuss a possible solution to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on November 17, where the leaders agreed on the deal, as Russian forces intensify airstrikes across Ukraine and make advances in the east.

"It will be the largest air defense, one of the largest in the world," Zelensky said after reaching an agreement on the twin-engine aircraft.

The Elysee Palace announced that the agreement also includes air defense systems, bombs and drones, new equipment that does not come from the current reserves of the French Armed Forces.

The agreement follows an announcement earlier this month that Sweden and Ukraine are close to finalizing financing for a deal that could enable Kiev to purchase up to 150 fourth-generation Gripen fighter jets.

Ukraine has long sought to strengthen its air defense systems to reduce Russia's superiority in the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since the end of World War II.

While Zelensky was in Paris to sign the agreement - he will travel to Spain on November 18 - the Kremlin again said it hopes to organize a second summit between President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump.

The two met in Alaska in August in an attempt to revive stalled peace negotiations to end the war. But the talks failed to make any progress.

The US sanctions on Russia's energy giants came after several unsuccessful rounds of negotiations between the US and Russia, which were at one point expected to be discussed at a proposed summit in Budapest.

Shortly after a conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Trump said he would "not waste time" meeting with Putin if the Kremlin leader was not willing to reach a deal to end his war in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on November 17 that a summit could be held as soon as the necessary preparations were completed, a stance he has repeated several times recently.

"We can hardly predict now when these conditions will be created. Although, of course, we are all interested in them being created as soon as possible," he said.

"Therefore, as soon as this preparation is completed and the conditions for holding the summit exist, we hope that it will take place."

Western media have reported that there has been little change in Russia's stance on ending the conflict since Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska in August, which did not result in a ceasefire agreement.

On November 8, Trump said that he still does not see Russia ready to stop the fighting, however, he expressed that he continues to prefer Budapest as a place where a peace summit would be held, once the conditions for such a meeting were met.

Trump said on November 16 that he is open to new sanctions from Congress, which would target "any country that does business with Russia."

He did not provide any other details./ Rel