France and Ukraine signed a letter of intent that could lead to Kyiv acquiring up to 100 Rafale fighters, plus SAMP-T air-defence systems, radars and drones, with deliveries envisaged over about 10 years. The LOI, signed at Villacoublay, is not a final purchase contract but maps out potential future contracts. The announcement follows Ukraine's earlier LOI for 100–150 Gripen jets and comes as Kyiv confronts renewed Russian attacks and domestic political challenges.
Historic LOI: France Agrees to Help Kyiv Acquire Up to 100 Rafale Fighters
France and Ukraine signed a letter of intent that could lead to Kyiv acquiring up to 100 Rafale fighters, plus SAMP-T air-defence systems, radars and drones, with deliveries envisaged over about 10 years. The LOI, signed at Villacoublay, is not a final purchase contract but maps out potential future contracts. The announcement follows Ukraine's earlier LOI for 100–150 Gripen jets and comes as Kyiv confronts renewed Russian attacks and domestic political challenges.
09:21 PM, 11/17/2025Conflict
Macron and Zelensky sign letter of intent for up to 100 Rafale jets
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed a letter of intent (LOI) that could lead to Kyiv acquiring as many as 100 Rafale fighter jets along with associated weapons, the French presidency said. The document, signed at France's Villacoublay air base, also envisages deals for next-generation SAMP-T air-defence systems (currently under development), radar equipment and drones.
French officials emphasised that the accord is an LOI, not a final purchase contract, and said implementation is expected "over a timeframe of about 10 years." The agreement sets out potential future contracts that would be negotiated and finalised separately.
"A great day," President Macron wrote on X, posting a photo of the leaders signing the document. Zelensky described the move ahead of the meeting as a "historic deal."
The announcement comes as Kyiv faces renewed battlefield pressure: Russian strikes killed three people in the Kharkiv region overnight, and authorities said seven people were killed when apartment blocks in Kyiv were struck the previous day. Moscow also reported seizing three more villages in eastern Ukraine.
Last month Zelensky signed a separate LOI for 100–150 Swedish Gripen fighters. France has already supplied Ukraine with Mirage jets, but the Rafale—long viewed as the flagship of French combat aviation—had not previously been discussed as an acquisition option for Kyiv.
At home, Zelensky has been responding to a corruption scandal by ordering the overhaul of state-owned energy companies, asking two ministers to resign and sanctioning a former business partner alleged to be involved. France's Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad said governments must be "extraordinarily vigilant" about corruption as Ukraine seeks closer ties with the EU.
The Paris visit, Zelensky's ninth since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, is part of a short tour of Western allies that included an energy agreement with Greece and a planned stop in Spain. Macron and Zelensky also toured the Mont Valérien headquarters where France and Britain are preparing a multinational force for Ukraine; France says 34 countries plus Ukraine have offered to participate.
Key points: the LOI signals deepening military cooperation between France and Ukraine, outlines a long-term procurement plan rather than an immediate arms transfer, and comes amid intensifying diplomatic and battlefield pressure on Kyiv.