Ukraine is finalising another “historic defence agreement” with France that will include new fighter jets and additional air-defence systems, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in his nightly address. According to the president, technical preparations are nearly complete, and the deal is expected to be signed in the near future. The announcement was first reported by The WP Times, citing Zelensky’s official speech.

New fighter aircraft and strengthened air defence

Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine will receive new air-defence systems and combat aircraft from its allies, with France playing a central role. The agreement is described by Kyiv as strategically important, given Russia’s intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent months.

The president emphasised that strengthening Ukraine’s airspace protection remains a top priority as winter approaches and Russian strikes escalate.

Nordic-Baltic coalition commits $500 million to PURL

Zelensky recalled that earlier this week a group of Nordic and Baltic states jointly approved a $500 million contributionto the U.S.-based PURL (Procurement of Ukrainian Resilience and Lethality) initiative.
The fund is designed to purchase American-made weapons — including missiles, air-defence interceptors, and artillery ammunition — for urgent needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

With this latest allocation, total partner contributions to Ukraine’s immediate defence requirements have reached $2.82 billion.

France preparing Mirage aircraft and Aster missiles

In late October, Ukraine signalled that it may soon receive additional Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France. Zelensky said the political decision in Paris has already been made.

On 24 October, French President Emmanuel Macron stated, following a meeting of the “Coalition of the Determined”, that France would provide Ukraine with:

  • additional Mirage fighter jets,
  • Aster missiles for the SAMP/T surface-to-air system.

Paris confirmed that several packages are being finalised jointly with the French Ministry of Defence and industrial partners.

Sweden’s Gripen programme: Ukraine’s parallel long-term aviation deal

The forthcoming French agreement will become Ukraine’s second major fighter aviation deal this year. In a separate long-term programme, Sweden has already approved the sale of up to 150 Saab JAS 39 Gripen E aircraft to Ukraine over a 15-year period — one of the largest aviation commitments ever made to Kyiv.

Since the Gripen E units will need to be produced entirely from new manufacturing cycles, the timeline is extended. According to Swedish planning estimates, the first aircraft are expected to reach Ukraine in around three years, with subsequent deliveries distributed across the full production window.

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Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine