Zelenskyy: Ukrainian pilots to begin Rafale training in France soon; Paris is preparing a new military aid package

Ukrainian pilots will begin training in France on Rafale fighter jets in the near future, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday, October 5, after a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron. Zelenskyy also said Paris is preparing new deliveries of defence equipment, the content of which the two leaders discussed.

According to the statement from the Ukrainian presidency, Zelenskyy called the start of the training “a strong step for Ukraine’s combat aviation”. Of the new package, he said it is expected to arrive in Ukraine “soon”, without disclosing what it includes. The two countries continue to work on the production of French missiles and aerial bombs on Ukrainian territory and are preparing the FREYJA anti-ballistic system. The two presidents agreed to discuss these issues in greater detail at their next meeting, for which no date has been announced.

Macron wrote on X that he had reviewed with Zelenskyy the concrete support France can offer so that Ukraine can intercept drones, and that his country will continue to support it despite intimidation or escalation from the Russian side, as the Kyiv Post reported.

From the agreement on 100 Rafales to the first 16

The training is the first practical step in a programme that has been taking shape for almost a year. In November 2025 the two presidents signed a letter of intent for the acquisition of up to 100 Rafales. In July, the Kyiv Post reports, Kyiv and Paris agreed on a roadmap for the first 16 aircraft and their armament, with financing from the European Union’s €90 billion support loan for Ukraine and from other sources. According to the newspaper, which cites a French official, the training follows the standard path of the French Air and Space Force: Grob G-120TP light trainers, then the Alpha Jet and finally front-line fighters. Once it is completed, Ukraine could take delivery of the first four aircraft.

Under the same July agreement, again according to the same report, France committed to delivering two more SAMP/T air defence systems by the end of 2026 and four to eight upgraded SAMP/T NG systems in the coming years. It also agreed to support the licensed production in Ukraine of AASM Hammer bombs, Aster 30 interceptor missiles for the SAMP/T and SCALP cruise missiles. FREYJA, presented in Paris in July, is a Ukrainian-led initiative to develop an affordable anti-ballistic defence system; Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are also taking part.