Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that France will immediately begin training Ukrainian pilots, although he has not confirmed that combat aircraft will be delivered to Kyiv. The French president has revealed this important news during a televised interview on the TF1 channel.
"We have opened the door to train pilots," Macron said, to the surprise of the interviewer. This information was not communicated by the Elysée last morning, after Macron's long dinner with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, in Paris. The head of state made it clear that France is not acting alone, but in coordination with European allies who will also train pilots and that there are discussions with the United States on the same issue. "There are no taboos," Macron said when asked whether the training would be carried out using French planes such as the Mirage or the Rafale.
In addition to pilot training, Macron promised Zelensky to send more ammunition, light tanks and air defense systems. Tonight the French president added that Paris will help the Ukrainians, in the east of their country, to form battalions to carry out the counteroffensive, and also to repair vehicles and cannons. He did not specify whether Paris will send monitors or technicians to Ukraine to carry out these tasks, which would imply an obvious risk. Several French television analysts assumed that the French staff will not travel to Ukraine, but rather the Ukrainians will go to France for training, but Macron did not make this clear in his statements.
"France's strategy is simple, to help Ukraine to resist, to organize, at the time it chooses, a counter-offensive in order to bring everyone to the negotiating table and on the terms it decides, and build a lasting peace." the president has said.
In the rest of the interview, Macron addressed internal issues, including a tax cut worth 2,000 million euros for the middle classes between now and the end of his term, in 2027. The head of state expressed his confidence that the Inflation on food products will be contained, between now and autumn, thanks to the good will of the supermarket chains to reduce their margins and the natural moderation of prices.
Macron did not want to explicitly confirm the medium-term continuity of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, but thanked her for her work "to move the country forward" and added that she does so "with strength, determination and courage".
