MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. France under the guise of joint licensed production with Ukraine will be transferring to Kiev ready-made long-range SCALP missiles, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) told TASS.
French President Emmanuel Macron said following the summit of the so-called Coalition of the Willing in Paris that missiles for the European SAMP-T air defense missile system should be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks. He added that the coalition members discussed the transfer of additional radar systems and missiles to Ukraine, as well as agreed on the joint licensed production with Ukraine of various weapons, including AASM guided bombs, Aster 30 missiles for SAMP-T and SCALP missiles.
"As for the SCALP missiles, this is a de facto outright legalization of deliveries. They will just be hiding behind a licensing mechanism. That is, they’ve already legally formalized the whole process. But actually, they’ll simply be transferring finished products. And again, there is a question regarding the [missile] carriers," Stepanov said.
In the context of strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, Macron also mentioned plans to modernize Ukrainian fighter jets and supply Kiev with 16 Rafale fighters. He promised that these fighters would take to the sky over Ukraine in 2028-2029, while training flights with them will begin "in the coming months."
