Ukraine's Air Force Receives Major Fighter Jet Boost

French President Emmanuel Macron announced during D-Day festivities on Thursday that Ukraine will receive new aircraft.

Macron was joined by U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other world leaders to honor the 80th anniversary of more than 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, sparking the beginning of the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II.

"Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine made by French manufacturer Dassault and train their Ukrainian pilots in France," Macron told French TV in a live interview near the end of commemoration ceremonies.

Macron added that Ukrainian officials including Zelensky asked all allies some 48 hours ago for more assistance in its war against Russia, which began with a February 2022 invasion and has drawn out to what many experts have labeled a stalemate for months.

"There is a challenge in capacity," Macron said, adding that he does not want escalation while stressing that "peace" can be achieved only if Ukraine is able to defend itself.

Macron also told Zelensky in Ukrainian: "We are there and we will not fail you," according to Politico.

Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets are multirole, single-engine aircraft developed in the 1970s that evolved after the turn of the century.

"It's somewhat interesting, and a break from the long-standing position of 'only F-16s for Ukraine,'" retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Jeffrey Fischer told Newsweek via Signal after Macron's announcement. "That position was founded in maximizing the utility of a single platform [one training, logistics, and maintenance pipeline]."

Fischer has been vocal since Russia's invasion that the U.S. should have sent F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, saying more than a year ago that air superiority on Ukraine's behalf may have led to "a rapid conclusion to this war."

Fischer, who has echoed others' concerns that additional weapons have not provided Ukraine with significant military advantages, Fischer said that if Western allies provide them, the "real question" is what Ukrainian fighters can do on the ground if they are aided by more modern aircraft.

"While I believe there is risk for Ukraine to take on a second fighter, I also believe I understand why they are doing it," he added. "Frankly, the Biden administration has slow-rolled F-16 delivery to the point that Zelensky is fed up and willing to assume the risk associated with standing up a second Western fighter jet capability."

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