As a result, the Ukrainian army is fighting in the Donbass region. The United States and its Western allies are continuously providing weapons and equipment to Ukraine, and even the types of weapons have changed significantly. From the initial individual weapons , radar equipment, drones, etc., they began to become heavy artillery and missile weapons. France is also one of the aiding countries. Its new defense minister recently publicly mentioned that it would consider providing Ukraine with the advanced Exocet anti-ship missile produced in France.
France’s new Defense Minister Sebastien Lequenu announced in his first major interview that France is preparing to send armored and armed transport vehicles to Ukraine. Lequenu also revealed that the Exocet missiles produced in France will also be part of the assistance. During the interview, he also asked the French defense industry to place itself in a "war economy" so that stocks of ammunition and weapons can be replenished at any time.
Recently, the Ukrainian armed forces completely lost the Donbas region in a battle with the Russian army. In this context, the French authorities responded to NATO's call by planning to increase military assistance to the Kiev regime, hoping that these new arms supplies would help Ukraine contain the Russian army's offensive.
Leknou said in an interview with "Le Parisien": "We must help Ukraine persist."
According to him, in this aid plan, Paris will transport another 6 Caesar self-propelled artillery to the Ukrainian army (in addition to the already 12 doors delivered) and a large number of VAB wheeled armored vehicles. The full name of VAB is "Frontline Armored Vehicle". This is a wheeled armored personnel carrier developed by France. It has been produced since 1976. Its performance is similar to the former Soviet Union's BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance vehicle. The difference is that the VAB vehicle It can carry multiple armed soldiers and is not just a reconnaissance vehicle.
It should be noted that of the 12 Caesar self-propelled artillery that France previously delivered to Ukraine, 2 have been completely obtained by the Russian army and shipped back to the local military industry institutions for research. The reason is that when the Ukrainian soldiers participating in the war were defeated, they chose to flee directly without damaging the Caesar artillery.
Leknou believes that Ukrainian soldiers can use these armored vehicles equipped with 12.7 mm machine guns to quickly pass through the Russian army's fire blockade area. As for the specific delivery time of VAB, the new defense minister did not publicly disclose it. But there is evidence that these vehicles will enter Ukraine from the territory of Slovakia .
In addition to the armored fighting vehicle , France is also considering providing Exocet anti-ship missiles to the Ukrainian army. They hope that the Ukrainian army can use Exocet missiles to open blocked ports and then transport the backlog of food out. Currently, Russian troops are controlling the Black Sea coast. Although the West does not want to use Russian ports, they continue to engage in active trade with Russia.
Experts believe that Western countries are trying to "open Ukrainian ports to export Ukrainian grain" (which can be exported along the Danube or by railway), but in order to prevent Russia from liberating Ukrainian areas close to the Black Sea, they can provide Ukraine with Harpoon and Flying Fish. anti-ship missiles and other weapons to fend off the Russian army.
