
French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview aired Tuesday that France has provided rocket launchers and weaponry to Ukraine and will send more early next year.
“In recent days, France has sent Ukraine more arms, rocket launchers, Crotale (air defence batteries), equipment beyond what we had already done,” Macron told France’s TF1 and LCI television.
He was speaking aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Egypt, a day before a regional conference in Jordan on Tuesday.
“We are also working with the armed forces minister (Sebastien Lecornu) to be able to deliver useful arms and ammunition again in the first quarter (of 2023), so that the Ukrainians would be able to defend themselves against bombardments,” said Macron.
New Caesar mobile artillery units are among the anticipated shipments, but Macron did not disclose specific statistics.
The quantity “will depend,” according to the president, on the success of continuing talks with Denmark, which had ordered the Caesar cannons from France and may agree to deliver at least some of them to Kyiv.
France has provided Ukraine 18 Caesar units since Russia’s incursion in February, a 155-mm howitzer mounted on a six-wheeled truck chassis capable of firing rounds at ranges of more than 40 kilometres (25 miles).
In addition, Paris has given anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as armoured personnel carriers.