MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. France plans to provide 100 Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine; the US repeats threats to impose secondary sanctions on Russia’s partners; and tensions between Colombia and the US create new opportunities for Russia. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Vladimir Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a memorandum of understanding on weapons supplies to the Ukrainian armed forces. Under the document, Kiev will acquire 100 French-made Rafale fighter jets. The French presidential office said the aircraft delivery would be carried out over the next ten years, Vedomosti reports.
Zelensky stressed that apart from Rafale warplanes, Kiev would also purchase eight SAMP/T air defense systems and radars from France. According to Macron, the deal is expected to be financed through the European Union’s programs, and, possibly, also through the use of Russia’s frozen assets, on which EU countries remain divided.
Eight SAMP/T systems and 100 Rafale fighters will cost about 30 billion euros, the kind of money that neither Ukraine nor France has (should Paris choose to pay for the supplies), Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Director Ruslan Pukhov said. Even if the EU seizes 140 billion euros worth of Russian assets, it will unlikely pay for the deal because the money will be required for more urgent Ukrainian needs, the expert noted.
