Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday met France's Emmanuel Macron at an air base outside Paris to seal a major deal to acquire French air defence hardware including Rafale fighter jets, France's flagship combat aircraft.
The two leaders signed a letter of intent for Kyiv to purchase up to 100 Rafale fighter jets"with their associated weapons", Macron told reporters.
In a boost for Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion, the accord also paves the way for Kyiv to acquire the new generation SAMP-T air defence system under development, as well as radar systems and drones.
Macron said the accord signed at Villacoublay air base would bolster Ukraine's defences in the face of"unacceptable attacks by Russia" and what he described as Moscow's "addiction to war".
This agreement aims to put"France's industrial and technological excellence at the service of Ukraine and therefore of Europe," the French president told a joint press conference.
Hailing a"historic" accord that will also create jobs in Ukraine, Zelensky said Kyiv may consider co-production of Rafale warplanes in the future.
The letter of intent is not a purchase and sales contract and is projected to be realised "over a timeframe of about 10 years", said Macron's office.
The Ukrainian president had already signed a letter of intent last month to acquire 100 to 150 Swedish Gripen fighter jets.
France has delivered Mirage fighter jets to Kyiv, but until now there had been no talk of Ukraine acquiring the Rafale, the crown jewel of French combat aviation.
Ukraine on backfoot
Zelensky, who has suffered setbacks over the last week due to a corruption scandal at home and Russian forces closing in on the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, was making his ninth visit to France since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
It came ahead of what analysts predict will be a tough winter for Kyiv as Moscow presses on the battlefield.
Overnight, Russian strikes killed three people in a city in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, its military administration chief said. Seven people were killed after Russia struck apartment blocks across the capital Kyiv on Friday.
Zelensky at the weekend announced an overhaul of state-owned energy companies after a corruption scandal, ordering two ministers to resign and sanctioning a former business partner who was named as its mastermind.
At the press briefing on Monday expressed"confidence" in Zelensky’s ability to improve his country’s track record regarding the fight against corruption, adding that the EU should continue to provide financial support to Kyiv.
He said the path to EU membership for Ukraine required reforms on the rule of law.
Macron and Zelensky earlier visited the headquarters of a Ukraine multinational force that France and Britain are preparing in the event an international force is deployed in Ukraine after any ceasefire.
The headquarters at Mont Valerien, west of Paris, is where countries from the"coalition of the willing" organised by France and Britain have sent officers to prepare the force.
Paris and London have pushed for the creation of a coalition of about 30 countries willing to send troops and assets to Ukraine or along its western borders once a peace deal with Russia is agreed.
A key objective is to ensure Ukraine has sufficient long-term military and economic aid to keep its army strong enough to deter any future Russian attack.
