The first batch of Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France have arrived in Ukraine, said French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Thursday.
The fighter jets
were flown by Ukrainian pilots who had been trained for several months in France, he said in a post on social media X.
However, Lecornu did not specify the number of the delivered or the total number of jets that France plans to deliver to Ukraine.
According to the French daily Le Monde, the French Air Force owns only a limited number of fighters -- 26 Mirage 2000-5 jets out of around 200 Mirage and Rafale aircraft.
These fighters barely suffice for France to carry out all the missions for which it is responsible on a day-to-day basis, Le Monde said.
On June 6, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would provide Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine.
