The headline is that Ukraine is acquiring 100 Rafale F4 jet fighters from France. Ukraine’s acting president Volodymyr Zelenskyy gets to prove to a restless population that he is their salvation, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron, with his own shaky government situation, stands firm for Western values ... and makes a tidy profit for France’s war industry.
What happened on Nov. 17 is that Macron and Zelenskyy signed a “declaration of intent,” as the Elysée Palace stated, according to France’s BFMTV, for the “future purchase by Kiev of up to 100 Rafale [fighter jets], air defense and drones…. This is not an ‘agreement’ or a contract signed by Ukraine, but a ‘declaration of intent’ that could lead to the acquisition of Rafale. Currently, the two countries are negotiating the possibility of acquiring up to 100 Rafale.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot crowed: “France continues to help Ukrainians for the sake of the security of Europeans.”
For his part, Zelenskyy declared: “Today marks a significant moment, truly historic for both our nations—France and Ukraine. Together with Emmanuel Macron, we signed a Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Acquisition of Defense Equipment for Ukraine. This document enables Ukraine to procure … [a variety of military equipment], including 100 Rafale F4 aircraft by 2035 for Ukraine’s combat aviation....” It was not stated when in the next 10 years the first such Rafale is to show up.
No matter. The bigger problem is, how does a bankrupt Kiev “procure” the military package? France’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad, also on Nov. 17, gave the game away. Speaking on the sidelines of the EU General Affairs Council in Brussels, he explained Macron’s twofold genius.
