French-made Mirage-2000 fighter jets have taken part in air combat against Russia for the first time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, according to the country’s media outlet ‘The Kiev Independent’.
The French-made fighter jets successfully repelled Russian drones and air strikes on Friday, the report said.
Europe has become active after US President Donald Trump announced the end of military assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
At a meeting of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, the 27 member states jointly decided to ease debt policies and allocate more money to the defense sector.
The proposal adopted at the EU meeting states that EU members will borrow 150 billion euros to strengthen European security. A large part of this will be spent on military assistance to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron told an EU meeting that he would increase aid to Kiev, saying, “In light of what happened in Ukraine, Europe’s defenses must be strengthened.”
The Mirage-2000 arrived from France a few days ago to help Zelensky’s army, according to sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to ceasefire talks at the request of the United States, but Moscow has not reduced the intensity of its attacks on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that since Friday Russia has launched at least 54 missile and nearly 200 drone strikes. There have also been air strikes. Russian forces are actively destroying energy infrastructure in Ukraine from Kharkiv in the east to Ternopil in the west. And the Mirage-2000 is being used to thwart that initiative.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, Forbes, Politico.