The French Ministry of Defense will consult with Ukraine on the delivery of armored fighting vehicles, the first of its kind on wheels to be delivered to the Ukrainian army.
Discussions include timing for delivery and training of Ukrainian military personnel for the equipment, the ministry said.
Denoted in French by “light tanks”, the AMX-10 RC has a 105 mm gun and two machine guns. They were originally designed for reconnaissance missions, with the ability to withstand light infantry weapons.said the French Ministry of Defense. They have wheels instead of tracks, which gives them greater mobility compared to heavy tanks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter to thank this arming by France and the “increasing work with partners in the same direction”.
Had a long and detailed conversation with the President of France @Emmanuel Macron on the current situation. Thank you for deciding to transfer light tanks and Bastion APCs to Ukraine, and for stepping up cooperation with partners in the same direction. 1/2
– Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 4, 2023
Ukraine had been looking for heavy tanks for months, including the American Abrams and the German Leopard 2.
The French decision was announced Wednesday afternoon after an hour-long telephone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky. Eliseu did not provide any details about the agreement.
The AMX-10 RC has been in service with the French Army since 1981 and has undergone several modifications. The French Ministry of Defense said that this combat vehicle is gradually being replaced by a new equipment called Jaguar.
The decision comes on top of Paris’ previous military aid to Ukraine following the defense minister’s visit to Kiev last week.
Paris provided Ukraine with an important arsenal of Caesar guns, as well as anti-tank missiles, batteries of Crotale surface-to-air missiles. About 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are still being trained on French soil.
US President Joe Biden said his administration is considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV) to Ukraine, a medium-sized combat vehicle that can be used to transport troops.
Kiev has been calling on the German government for months to send Leopard 2 heavy tanks, but Belin has already said it will not make an isolated decision, recalling that no other country has provided comparable Western military equipment.
Saskia Esken, who shares the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, told n-tv on Tuesday that Scholz and the coalition government are in regular and close contact “especially with the Americans” about arms deliveries.
Britain has said it has supplied Ukraine with more than 200 armored personnel carriers but has not yet sent any tanks.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
