France Become The First Western Country To Supply Armored Fighting Vehicles To Ukraine

On January 4, French President Emmanuel Macron said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, France will provide Ukraine with AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles to assist Ukraine in defending against Russian aggression. As the first Western country to provide this type of armament to Ukraine is a significant shift in France’s position as regards military assistance to Ukraine. Some observers have seen French President Macron compromising with Russia. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, France has supplied Ukraine with state-of-the-art artillery, armored personnel carriers, anti-aircraft missiles, and air defense systems. But President Macron has not promised higher-performance equipment to the Ukrainian army for fear of angering Russia. The AMX-10 RC was delivered to the French military in the 1980s and phased out in 2021. It is still being determined how many of them France will provide to Ukraine or when they will be delivered, but training and maintenance related to the AMX-10 RC have been agreed upon as part of the deal. The French Defense Ministry said the two countries defense ministers will hold talks soon.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden has said he is considering providing Ukraine with Bradley armored fighting vehicles, the U.S. Army’s primary combat vehicle for battlefield troop-carrying.