On Monday, 17 November 2025, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to France, at the 107th Air Base in Vélizy–Villacoublay near Paris, he signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with President Emmanuel Macron regarding the potential purchase of up to 100 Dassault Rafale F4 multirole aircraft over a period of 10 years, as well as Eurosam SAMP/T air and missile defense systems, radars, and missile and aerial weaponry.
Photos: Volodymyr Zelensky via X
“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 military equipment from France’s defense industrial and technological base, including 100 Rafale F4 aircraft by 2035 for Ukraine’s combat aviation, SAMP/T air-defense systems, air-defense radars, air-to-air missiles, and aerial bombs.
Joint projects between our defense sectors will also begin this year – we will co-produce interceptor drones and work on developing critical technologies and components that can be integrated into Ukrainian drones.
New aircraft, new reinforcements, new steps to strengthen our army and our country. I am deeply grateful to France, President Emmanuel Macron, and all the French people,” – wrote Ukrainian President on social media after signing the document..
“This will be the most powerful air defense system, one of the most powerful in the world,” Zelensky said to journalists after signing the letter of intent. The Élysée Palace confirmed the number of Rafale aircraft and stated that the preliminary agreement, which also includes air defense systems and weaponry, opens a new chapter – it concerns new equipment rather than transfers from the French armed forces.
“We are planning for Rafale, 100 Rafales – that is an enormous number. It is necessary for rebuilding the Ukrainian army,” Macron said in an interview for LCI TV, adding that the agreement is also good news for France and Dassault.
Following the announcement, Dassault’s shares surged, rising by 7.4% at 11:37 GMT.
However, the letter of intent is a political commitment, not an intergovernmental agreement, which will be concluded later, the Élysée Palace noted, adding that the objective is to finance the deal through EU programs and the planned use of frozen Russian assets, something the EU has not yet formally approved.
It is worth noting that declarations of interest in Rafales, as well as F-16s, appeared after Zelensky signed a letter of intent on 22 October this year with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, opening the way to the purchase of 100–150 Saab JAS 39E Gripen aircraft. In that case too, it was stated that financing could come from frozen Russian assets.
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to deliver more Dassault Mirage 2000-5F multirole fighters, after initially promising ten (in August there was mention of doubling that number), as well as a new batch of Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles produced by the European consortium MBDA, for the two SAMP/T air-defense batteries operated by Ukraine (donated by France and Italy).
During a press briefing ahead of Zelensky’s visit, the Élysée Palace said the purpose of the visit was to showcase French excellence in the defense industry in support of Ukraine and to enable Ukraine to acquire systems necessary to respond to Russian aggression.
On Monday morning, Zelensky took part in a briefing by various manufacturers, including Dassault Aviation, prior to signing the letter of intent. In the afternoon, a separate forum will be held, during which Ukrainian and French companies working in the unmanned systems sector will meet to discuss how they can combine their efforts.
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 military… pic.twitter.com/0qzG41IsnP
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 17, 2025
Сьогодні особливий момент, справді історичний для обох націй – Франції та України. Підписали разом із Емманюелем Макроном декларацію про наміри щодо співробітництва у сфері придбання Україною оборонного обладнання. Документ, який дає нашій країні можливість придбати військове… pic.twitter.com/n1Dl0DO86N
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 17, 2025
Grand jour.
Великий день. pic.twitter.com/YwfGV4d7Ii— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 17, 2025
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